Soragakure
by Malsyn
Summary: Naruto, the latest heir of the Tech Release bloodline, belongs to a royal family living in a technologically advanced hidden village. Will he be able to stop the destruction that's about to befall the ninja world, or will he be the cause for it's destruction? Only time will tell. OC heavy, Bloodline Limit Naruto.
1. Prologue

**A/N:**** Heya, It's been a long while since I've made anything new for this site. This will be one of the new projects I'm working on, in an effort to try and re-werite some of my stories. This takes place in a new land, and centeres around Naruto and new characters. Cannon characters will show up, but not yet. I intend for this to be a light-hearted, adventure fic. So far there are no cnfirmed pairings, but this will no yaio or a harem fic.**

**That said, I hope you enjoy the chow! Chou for now.**

**Beta: Maru15 {Thanks for all the help}**

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Disclaimer: I hold no rights to the Naruto series, nor do I own any comic or other series where I borrow something. Such cases will be noted.**  
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Cover image provided courtesy of Free Digital Photos, edited by me.

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Soragakure

Chapter one: A prologue **{revised}**

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Many years in the past, located far to the south of the bottom of Wind Country, lay a land shrouded in an icy cold. Tall pillars of metal reached high into the clouds, overlooking the people that lived far below. Stalking the streets, people dressed in rags dragged their feet along the dingy streets, unaware of what approached just outside the city's walls.

In mere seconds, what they barely called home lay in ruins as molten rocks whizzed past and the towers of metal collapsed upon themselves, crashing into the streets far below. This was just one of the numerous casualties of a civil war that ravaged the industrious country, of a name long lost to time. The offenders rode in on chariots of smoke and fire, beams of sun raining down from their vessels.

War had finally reached the coastal areas.

Ships had already been in construction for the past decade, and many were still incomplete, but the people had little choice in the matter as those of the coastal lands were forced into the barely sea worthy constructs. Plans for evacuation had been in place for years, but never before had anyone thought that they'd put them to use.

But now, those very same people poured out of the streets, rushing as fast as they could to the emergency ships. Defensive platforms were finally waking up, lazily firing beams of hot sun back at the chariots of fire. What had been a peaceful city just thirty minutes in the past now lay in ruin and panic as ships finally started to leave port.

The enemy was quick to take notice, and wasted no time in taking out the defenseless cruisers. Leaders of the city had left before the ships had arrived, and were already far out of range to be hit. They had hoped their people would've had more time to evacuate, but it was becoming clear there was no choice. A flash of light, and bombs that had been set in place throughout the city all went up at once.

The water rippled, waves lashing out against them, forcing the ships to take evasive actions as not to crash into one another. Their home was gone, and for now, there was nothing following them. The only hope they had left was across the waters, to a land shrouded in mystery and myth since its discovery hundreds of years ago. Colonies had been made before, but all were lost or lost contact with home due to the horrors that lay in the foreign lands. Since that time, not a single man or woman had ever set foot there again, until now.

War forced them to face their fear, and to huddle in the cramped grimy chunks of metal as they drifted agonizingly slow across the ocean. When they finally hit land, they were met with a vast treacherous wasteland, miles and miles of sand in every direction. The boats were dismantled, and they started a new home in this unforgiving land...

But their presence did not go unnoticed. A group of oddly dressed men showed up in their encampment one day, shouting at them in a strange language. After many attempts at communication, a baseline had finally been established, and they grew from there. The people of the iron and snow had made landfall in a place known as "The Land of Wind." This was one of many countries in a vast continent known as the "Elemental Lands."

The people called themselves shinobi, members of the country who had access to a strange substance called chakra. In an attempt to establish peace, they took some of the foreigners and taught them their ways, welcoming them into their lands. Over the years the two people became friends and allies, but even something as simple as that was bound to go wrong for the foreigners.

The wind Daimyo had grown to covet the strange magic they possessed in the form of Technology, and demanded from the then city to give over many of their ships as what he called 'Gifts of peace.' The leader of the city, a king with blond hair and sky blue eyes, would not hear it and refused. The Daimyo was of course insulted, and ordered for the country's immediate destruction at the hands of his shinobi from a newly formed village called 'Sunagakure,' descendents of the first ninja who had greeted them into this land.

The king had trained as a shinobi in the village, and had left back after his meeting of peace was completed years prior, to complete his own individual studies. He himself had discovered a hidden power that he and very few of his people possessed, what the people of the Elemental lands called a 'kenkei genkei.' As the armies of shinobi raced across the sands, he only had one option left. Using all of his strength, and everything from his vast chakra reserves, he cast a powerful jutsu over his entire city, slamming his hands to the ground.

The city lit up in a bright light, patterns forming across it as they even snaked over and under the sands that bordered them. A rumble was heard, and the city lifted high into the air. From below, one could see the bottom moving and transforming itself, bright blue lights shining out from openings in the bottom of their glorious city. His jutsu was successful, and with the last of his strength, he directed his city high over the water, drifting to where the Land of Wind was barely visible on the horizon, before he fell over.

He lay there, all of his reserves depleted and his entire body ravaged by the jutsu. He gave his city one last smile, before he gave in to his Bloodline, and found himself being absorbed into his city, his home, forever cursed to live as one with it. The council briefly took over, before they took it upon themselves to rename their great kingdom. Thus, Soragakure, the city hidden in the sky, had been born.

Relations between the newest hidden village and the Land of Wind were shaky at first, but a long established bond between Suna and Sora eventually brought hostilities to a standstill, effectively granting the Wind Daimyo not one, but two hidden villages under his care, though Soragakure to this day retains an image of independence from the Daimyo, following their king first and foremost.

When war had once again reached their village, it came in the form of the Second Shinobi War, where their village suffered a horrible loss in the form of both numbers, and the abduction of the mother of their unborn prince. During the Third Shinobi World War, both Soragakure and Sunagakure fought as allies, using their close relations to their advantage, ravishing the battlefield. Yet their combined forces were still no match for the power that was the Yellow Flash.

The people of Sora were shocked at how much he resembled their late king, and his presence didn't go unnoticed by the council, having temporarily taken the king's place in the aftermath of his death. Yet there was nothing they could do but simply watch, as their heir unknowingly killed his own people.

As the war came to the close, shinobi of Sora kept close watch of the heir, never once daring to make contact when his ascent to Hokage occurred. It was then, in the form of a pregnant lover, that their chance did appear. All they had to do then was wait for the moment to strike.

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**October 10th, the first annual Kyubi festival**

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A young boy slept peacefully in his crib, ignorant of the hateful looks the woman at the orphanage had given him just as she laid him down, finally getting the brat to sleep. She gave him one last scornful glance before leaving the room to finally enjoy the festival.

Her feet had barely left the room when a figure suddenly appeared in the window, covered from head to toe in black clothing. His mask simply a visor, with the number "44" displayed. The man slipped inside, finally able to make his move after infiltrating the village a year prior.

The body of the ANBU agent guarding the child had been disposed of in a dumpster located in the alley behind him. With one fluid motion, he scooped up the boy with care, before pressing a finger against his left ear. "Forty Four arranging for pickup." There was static, before a response came, "Pickup arranged. Thirty Six dispatched near drop off."

That was all he needed. Pushing chakra into his suit, the image of a civilian took his place. Cradling the bundle in his arms, he jumped out the window, and snaked through the crowds below. But the body wouldn't remain undetected forever. As soon as it was, alarms sounded off in the village, causing a panic as the memories of the attack still lay fresh in their minds.

Using the ensuing panic to his advantage, he fled past the village gates, and into the forest. He had to be fast, patrols would likely be sent out soon and his partner wouldn't wait forever. Dropping his disguise, he opted for speed instead. He had nearly two hours to travel a two day's journey. Such a matter was simple for one such as him, and he pushed chakra into the boots of his outfit, which then propelled him even further into the depths of the forest.

Waiting for him, a woman with short red hair stood in a clearing, wearing the same outfit, though the number "36" was flickering on her visor. He stood in the trees, before clicking his com three times. The woman repeated the action, and glanced up at his position. A smile briefed her lips, hidden behind her mask. "Any difficulty, Forty Four?"

"Barely any at all. But the village is in high alert, and ANBU are patrolling the area. Even with the distance between us, we shouldn't let our guard drop." The woman nodded, before extending her arms for the boy. Quickly, he made the pass off, as she turned to the tree behind her. Pressing her palm against it, she let her chakra dispel the genjutsu, revealing a sleek vehicle, painted black to blend in with the night.

A door slid open, and she hurried inside, leaving Forty Four behind. Giving him a longing look, he gave a knowing nod. "We'll meet again Thirty Six." With that, the door shut, and she gave a signal of her hand to a man sitting in front of her. The man, "52" judging by his mask, pressed his hands against the dash, activating the machine.

And with that, the ship flew off into the night, a faint streak of blue chakra emanating from the back. Seeing his primary mission was complete, he turned back to the village of Konoha. He would need to remain low for a few days, before he could return and resume his secondary assignment.


	2. The New Genin

**A/N:**** Welcome to the second chapter. In this, there are many noticeable and major differences from the original piece. For one, people here are all speaking in Latin, the language of Soragakure. Many names have been changed as well, to Latin names instead of things I just made up. Some might be long or complicated, but most of the time people will refer to them by nick-names. In anycase, please enjoy!**

**Beta: Maru15 {Thanks again.}**

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Soragakure

Chapter two: The new genin. **{revised} **

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"...And thus, Soragakure was born!" A man in his late twenties made a dramatic pose, his foot slamming down onto the desk as he pointed to the wide plane window at the far end of the classroom, a luxurious view of the city clearly visible. The children in the classroom were startled by the sudden action from their teacher, a few even jumping out of their seats.

The tan skinned man gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head, briefly ruffling his snow white hair. He gave a quick cough before sitting down in his seat to finish the story of the city's origin, as was customary for prospective genin about to take their exams. Adjusting his gray chunin vest, he found his place and resumed speaking. Seeing things calm once again, many returned to chattering lightly among themselves, thinking that their teacher couldn't hear their mumbles.

Of course, to assume something like that of Egidia, a fully trained chunin with many years of experience dealing with young children such as themselves, was sadly mistaken. A glint came to his eyes, spotting an all too familiar boy lay his head down on the desk. In a flash, the book was thrown from his hand right against the boys face, cutting through the chattering immediately. "Naruto!" He yelled out, the blond haired child, wearing a simple white shirt and black pants, shooting straight up. "Yes Teacher-sensei!"

"Describe the three main points of the first Suna-Sora alliance treaty!" Naruto looked as if about to speak, before he paused. "But you didn't even get to that poi-" "Shut up and list them, now!" Naruto gave a quick nod, before quickly racking his brain. "U-uhm.. Oh! To promote trade and co-operation between the two villages, to establish a strict pact of non-aggression, and uh..." The blond counted off his fingers, trying to figure out the last point, before it hit him.

"Hey wait, you tricked me! The first draft only established two main points, and a third was established in a later reversion, as well as more being on later." He crossed his arms, shooting a glare at his teacher, who only smiled back at him. "If you remembered that, then maybe you'll remember to NOT SLEEP IN MY CLASS!" The entire class ducked, as his chair was thrown at the boy, who barely had time to dodge. The chair, bouncing harmlessly off the shatter-proof glass, landed with a crash. "S-sorry, Teacher-sensei."

"No matter, Naruto. Now onto more important matters. As you all know, tomorrow is evaluation day! If you pass, you'll be inducted into Soragakure's core military force, as genin of the state." He gave them all a short smile, before holding his hand up when his class started talking again. "Tomorrow, your tests will consist of knife throwing, taijutsu, a written exam, an oral test of Elemental, as well as ninjutsu. Understood?" There were nods and calls of, "Yes teacher-sensei," throughout the classroom. "Good. Now, everyone rest up and get ready for tomorrow. You are dismissed."

Quickly, chatter started up again as students flowed out of the woodwork, including Naruto. But Egidia stopped him just short of the door. "Naruto, stay here for a moment." The blond boy gave a curious look, before walking back to his desk. "Yes, teacher-sensei?" Egidia gave a smirk, before pointing to the back of the class. "Well first, I'd like for you to retrieve my chair." Naruto grumbled, but complied with the order.

Finally sitting down, the white haired man looked up at the boy. "Naruto, I know you've been under a lot of pressure from your uncle lately-" "He's not my uncle." Naruto cut him off, clearly not content with referring to their king as family of any sort. "Regardless, I know he's been putting pressure on you. Don't think I haven't noticed those bags around your eyes, it's easy to tell you've been studying hard. You wouldn't have known the answer to my question earlier if you hadn't." Naruto gave him a confused look. "But, Teacher-sensei, I thought knowledge was good-" He was cut off again.

"Of course it is. But that doesn't mean you have to destroy yourself just to obtain it. Naruto, I know that after tomorrow, you won't be under my care anymore, and I need to make sure you don't exert yourself too much." The boy looked down, silent. "That of course doesn't mean I'm telling you not to train. You should always aim to improve yourself, I just don't want to see you get hurt doing something stupid."

The blond looked up, a smirk forming on his lips. "Don't worry Teacher-sensei, nothing's gonna stop me." The chunin gave a soft chuckle, before waving the boy off. "Go, you need some rest if you want to be ready for tomorrow." With a nod, the boy left the room, leaving the man to his own thoughts. _'That man... king or not, I won't let him corrupt that boy. Despite what they want us to believe, I can see it in his eyes. His thirst for power… that will be his downfall, and I pray to Kami that Naruto won't be around to see it.'_

He let out a sigh, and leaned back. Such thoughts could be considered high treason, and he wouldn't dare say them aloud. But he knew that more and more people were secretly believing it every day. He can't hold up that mask for long. Sooner or later, it would crumble, and everyone would see him for his true colors. _'Oh, Kami...'_

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**The Royal House, 20:12 p.m.**

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Near the center of the city, stood a vast complex made of a brilliant white stone, found deep within the desert of Wind Country. Towers and arches stood tall and high, the roof made of ocean blue, crystal like tiles. They arched high into the air, steep curves and angles shooting out at the bottom, as circular structures dotted where the roof met with the other side. It was surrounded by a vast garden, full of greens, blues, purples, and reds. The entire plot, surrounded by a high stone wall, had towers dotting the corners. Of course, in a city such as this, normal walls simply weren't enough to protect the royal family that slept and trained on the grounds.

At each tower, a small ball of imprisoned chakra lay sealed inside, powering a high level shield that curved and covered the ground in a purple dome. Guards stood by at each tower, in case one ball was to lose power, so as to substitute their own chakra.

Inside the main building, Naruto slowly stepped along down the hall. He was wearing his royal garments, as was customary. A white silk shirt, with golden edging and buttoned with ivory. His pants followed the same color scheme, ending in a pair of white socks. Rather small, and clashing with the expensive and custom made clothing he wore now. But any chance at rebelling against his "Uncle" was one he was going to take. Wearing common socks was just small enough of a change to go unnoticed, and yet enough to earn himself a disapproving look from the King.

If anything, the boy hated just how formal everything was around here. A sentry gave him a stiff nod to him, "Honorable nephew." Naruto ignored the man rudely, opting instead to just keep walking to his destination. His Uncle, like usual, requested that he'd join them for dinner. Not one to turn down a meal of any sort, Naruto was happy to oblige. It's not like he had to talk, or make eye contact of any sort with him.

Two sentries greeted him again, by opening the doors for him that led to the dining chamber. It was comprised of a long room, with a well polished table, made entirely from a single tree from the Land of Fire, made up its center. On either side, people of varying roles of importance made up the seating, all of whom patiently waiting for their last guest, to take his seat. Behind them, on the walls, were large glass planes that stretched to the top of the ceiling, granting an amazing view of the city around them. Chandeliers hung down over the table, bathing the room in the yellow light they granted. His uncle sat at the head of the table in tall wooden chair, as did his guests. A seat sat empty at his side, opposite of his daughter.

Taking his seat, while giving no notice to the king, his uncle gestured with his hand for the feast to begin. Instantly, men appeared out of nowhere and presented plates of food for all members of the party, and the room slowly erupted into the sounds of voices as men and woman chatted over their meal. "So, Naruto," Damnit. Maybe he should've just eaten in his room again. "I hear your evaluation test is tomorrow." The man spoke softly, but a hidden edge lay underneath his tone, and in the way he didn't even glance up from his meal as he spoke to him.

"Yes, Heika." His uncle smiled, before glancing at his nephew. "Now now, there's no need for formality here Naruto." He said, his hand gripping the fork rather tightly. He glanced at the formal utensil, before answering him back. "Of course, Uncle Ishachus." The elder of the two smirked, turning back to his food. "Uncle will do just fine, Nephew of mine."

Ishachus's daughter, Caelia, watched her father and his cousin tensely, sighing against the thick air around the two. While she loved her father, and enjoyed the company of her cousin Naruto, she knew that neither got along. Despite the futile attempts her father ever made, the boy never took to him. There was a time, once, when you could almost mistake him for Ishachus's own son, but that time had passed long ago, and they two only grew apart further every day.

The dinner thus, continued to trudge along slowly, neither looking up at each other from their meals. That is, until the king decided to once again, lightly question the boy. "How do you think your test will go? I'm confident you'll make high marks, yes?" His blue eyes, met with Naruto's for a brief moment, before the latter looked away. "What if I don't?" The man frowned, setting his spoon down against his bowl with a light clink. "Then I expect you to work even harder. I will not have one of our family to bring home anything besides the best."

There was a slam on the table, pulling everyone away from their dinners, as they all looked toward the table's head. _'Oh boy, here we go.' _Caelia leaned back in her chair, covering her face with her hand. Naruto's hand had slammed against the table, and it looked as if he was suppressing his anger, rather poorly at that. "Nothing I do is good enough for you, is it?" "I only wish for the best."

Naruto took in a deep breath, before excusing himself from the table, and walking out of the room. He had some steam to let off. As the doors closed behind him, all eyes were locked at where he had just left from. Ishachus, hoping to lighten the mood, calmly let out a small quip on the boy's behalf. "A little brash, isn't he?" He gave a light chuckle, and his guests quickly followed suit, not one to insult their king. His daughter however, just sighed and leaned against the table, propping her chin with her elbow. "Yet another lovely dinner." She mumbled to nobody in particular.

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**Outside, The Royal training grounds. 22:23p.m.**

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Naruto took a deep breath, concentrating on the dummy set up across the field. After a pause, he dashed forward, before leaping upwards into the air. Reaching his hand out from under his shirt, where he kept several kunai hidden, he launched them at the dummy, before angling himself and landing a kick on it with the back of his heal. The head came off effortlessly, splinters following its path. Naruto had little time to react, as two more dummies suddenly popped out from the ground.

He rushed at them, finding peace at the chips of wood that shot out as he broke the post of one and cracked the chest of another. He winced, before grabbing his hand in pain. "Still not strong enough…" He mumbled, as he looked at where he had hit. A small dent, with several bits of wood sticking out at sharp angles, his blood evident against them.

He sat down, nursing his hand. He healed fast then most, but that still didn't mean it was painless. With as much force as he put behind that punch, a normal hand would be shattered. But his held fast, though blood still dripped from the wound. He watched, as the splinters were forced out of his hand, one by one, before the skin finally patched up.

He uttered a soft sigh, before leaning against the unbroken post. No matter how much he tried, nothing was enough to impress his uncle. Nothing he did gave him that same look he had received years ago, when he first learned to throw a kunai. He didn't know what happened between the two of them, simply the fact that something had caused them to split apart. He looked at his hand again, before taking in another breath. He _would_ impress him, he would find a way, even though it might go against Teacher-sama's orders.

Of course, it wasn't like that had stopped him before. With new-found determination, he turned around, and aimed a punch at its mid section, causing the wood to buckle. Naruto smiled _'I _will_ find a way, Uncle. I'll find a way to make you see.'_

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**Sora Academy, room 153. 09:03a.m.**

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Egidia looked at his students with a smile on his face. "I hope everyone's ready to begin. As I said yesterday, today is Evaluation Day. The test will consist of five parts; knife throwing, taijutsu, a written test, an oral test of Elemental, and lastly ninjutsu." As he went along, he counted off his fingers, taking time to make sure his students understood. "Great! We'll start with the written test." Groans were heard throughout the class, but all Teacher-sensei could hear was music to his ears as he handed out the tests.

Naruto looked down at his and smirked, all too easy. Of course, not everyone seemed to agree with that. "Hey! There's no multiple choice here!" All eyes were drawn on a kid with snow white hair, much like their sensei, but pale skin and wearing a ridiculous labcoat and goggles. Or, as he loved to call, his "Super mega awesome mad science glasses!"

Seeing no response from their teacher, he simply grumbled back into a clump, fiddling with his pen. Naruto, as well as most the class, turned back to their tests. Quickly, Naruto started scribbling down his answers, anxious to get this finished and turned in.

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**10:32 a.m.**

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"Uhm.." Naruto hesitated, thinking back to his studies with his tutor, "Come on Naruto, you can do this." "-What is your name?-" His teacher slipped into Elemental effortlessly. The boy fumbled over the words, never having been very skilled in this area. "-Uhm.. my name am Naruto-" Egidia sighed, marking down a number on a paper. "Almost had it. Now, try this..."

"-What is the time Naruto-san?-" The teacher got a few more awkward mumbles, as the ninja hopeful stumbled over the weird syllables, blending some of his words together and came out barely understandable. "-Time tena clockam is it-" Egidia shook his head, marking down another number. "Only one more Naruto." That earned him a few more frustrated grumbles from the boy, to which the teacher scolded him for.

"Knock that off Naruto, this is essential if you ever want to be a successful ninja. Barely anyone outside here and the port speak anything besides it. You need to know this. Now come on, I know you can do it." "-How are you today Naruto-sama?-" Egidia once again watched him struggle at first to find the words, but that demeanor quickly changed, as Naruto confidently spoke back, "-My socks are full of pigs!-"

…

"Naruto... " He rubbed his face again. He knew Naruto was intelligent, but for some reason, he just all out failed when it came to proper wording and speaking of Elemental. Yes, he could do well when reading and sometimes even writing it, but speaking... At least it came out clear, instead of a jumbled mess. So, he gave him some points for that. "You can return to your seat." With a nod, he turned back, and walked past the giggling children. With that, he moved onto the next student on the list. "Now then... ah, Josephus Cafeum, you're up."

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**Outside the academy, 12:21 Noon**

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He took a deep breath, calming himself, before looking at the targets. Egidia pressed a bottom, and all of them started moving at various speeds, a few in the back not having moving at all. He hesitated, not used to hitting moving targets. But with a gritting of his teeth, he took a step forward, launching a barrage of kunai at the targets. A few hit their mark, and Naruto grabbed for his next five.

Each student had a total of five sets of throwing knives, or kunai as they mostly referred to them. Taking a second to steady himself, he launched the second, then the third, and the forth. 'Damn!' Not all of them hit, and nearly all of his last throw whizzed past the targets. He grabbed for his last kunai, and looked at the targets left.

He breathed slowly, tracking their movements, before he let the last and final barrage forth. And just like that, five thunks were heard. Naruto sighed a breath of relief, as Egidia clicked the button again. "Time! One minute forty, with 18 confirmed hits. Very good, Naruto. You may join the others." with that, he called out the next student, to finish off the throwing test.

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**13:46p.m.**

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Naruto, as well as most of the other students watched in pure shock as their taijutsu instructor was thrown out of the ring, by a little girl. Well, no, not little. She was taller than the other girls, and even some of the boys. Her skin a dark brown and her hair rough and boyish. She wore a denim jacket, over a white wife-beater. Both those and her black pants, stained with oil. Of course, you'd expect that from the daughter of a mechanic.

She cocked her hip to one side, placing her left arm - a mechanical one - on her hip, and gave the instructor a sneer. "That all you got?" She huffed at the man, before stepping over him to join the others. Their teacher took a moment to regain himself, before marking down a score for the girl. Naruto, you're up.

He walked into the ring, where the large man was finally picking himself up. Topping that last performance would be hard to beat, he was sure, but he could at least make it a close second. He blinked, pausing to himself. A close second? Hell no! He went at this hoping to make rookie of the year, but he didn't get a perfect score in one, and bombed the other test. He might be good on paper, but that wasn't enough in the shinobi world. He had to show his real strength.

With this in mind, the moment Egidia gave the signal, he rushed the man, launching into a series of kicks that caught the low chunin completely off guard. He kept stepping back, blocking his attacks, and looking for an opening. Naruto might have been determined, but a lot of his taijutsu was still sloppy from lack of control. A single hit, and Naruto flew back, nearly out of the ring. He started to get up, but saw the man rush towards him.

There's no way he'd be able to go against that, he already knew the chunin was far stronger than him physically, having launched him nearly out of... wait! That's it! He waited for the chunin to get closer, before he jerked to the left at the last second, sticking his leg out. Caught by surprise, the large men started waving his arms in an attempt to balance himself. Instead, he fell face first into the pavement, again.

He heard a few cheers and claps from the crowd, and caught a glare from the girl before him, to which he replied with a sheepish grin. Egidia, having calmed the students down, ushered him back in line and called out the next one.

* * *

**Room 153. 16:11p.m.**

* * *

This was it, the last test. He stood before the Chunin and his teacher, and put on a straight face. "Okay Naruto, this last test is very simple. I need you to perform a replacement technique, a henge, and lastly, three bunshin. It's a very standard test, and you should have little trouble performing it, knowing you." He offered a confident smile along with his kind words, and Naruto nodded, his face serious.

His first jutsu was easy, and he replaced himself with a chair. Writing that down, the teacher motioned for him to continue to the next one. With that, he henged himself into Egidia, a nearly perfect copy. The same ninja smiled and nodded, writing down the score for that, and motioning for the last technique.

_'Okay... I can do this. I may have failed before… uh… a lot… but Tutor-sensei and I have been practicing this, I've done it before, I can do this!'_ Forming the hand seal, three copies appeared in a puff of smoke, none of them sickly or deformed in any way, though one of the three appeared to be straining himself to stay together. Egidia gave another smile, before nodding, letting the boy de-summon the clones.

"Naruto, congratulations. You pass! Please, pick any head band." The blond boy could hardly contain himself, and he began looking over all the colors available, before spotting an orange one that caught his eye. Picking it up, he traced the gear etched into the metal, before turning to his teacher. "Thank you so much, Teacher-sensei." Egidia shook his head, keeping his smile. "You don't have to keep calling me that anymore Naruto. I'm your comrade now."

The blond paused, giving him an 'are you serious?' look, which received a slight nod, and a big smile returned to the boy's face, as well as hints of moisture in his eyes. "Thank you so much... Egidia-sensei." Said chunin gave a light chuckle, before urging him out. "Team assignment will be tomorrow, don't be late."

"I won't." And with that, the young genin left the class time for the last time, as a student. Well, at least not Egidia's student.

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**The next day, 09:00a.m. on the dot**

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Naruto burst through the door with confidence. Not a second too soon, not a second too late. Just on time. Of course, he had stood outside the door for ten minutes just to get his timing right, earning strange looks from the genin that past him inside. Everyone was already chatting excitedly, showing off their brand new headbands, sporting them in several different styles of wear and color.

Naruto, opted for the more traditional route and wore it on his head. He straightened up his new coat, a baggy black rain coat, over his normal commoner's clothes, the lining inside, an orange that matched the fabric of his headband. A swirl of the same color was imprinted on the back, honoring a mother he never knew.

With that, he made his way to one of the open seats, managing to only find one open next that weird, science kid, who seemed to be sketching furiously on a notepad. He had no idea what it was, but nothing good could something if the phrase "Super-mega-awesome-death-ray-inator" appeared over and over again.

The other genin noticed his staring, and turned back, shoving his goggles right into Naruto's face, who briefly noticed the simple blue headband, around his neck. "I see you eying my instrument, bet you wish you could touch it, eh?" This earned him a few giggles from the girls behind them, and Naruto shoved the kid back roughly, embarrassed. "Well too bad! It's mine, MINE!" He threw himself onto the desk, kicking his chair back in an attempt to hide his design.

There was a brief pause, before he held out his hand, giving Naruto a friendly smile. "Name's Arcturus. You?" The other boy paused for a moment, before returning the greeting. "Naruto." Arcturus made a face of realization, as he finally recognized him. "Ohhhh, you're THAT Naruto." A nod confirmed it. "That's so cool." He replied back, extending the "o's" way beyond their apparent use.

But despite his rather, eccentric behavior, Naruto realized he had just found a new friend. They were about to talk more, when Egidia finally walked in through the door. He cleared his throat once, yet the classroom wouldn't stop talking amongst themselves. He cleared his throat again, louder, but to no avail. So, it had come to this then had it?

He took in a deep breath, before yelling as loud as he could over the fresh crop of genin. "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" And immediately, without another wasted second, they did so. Clearing his throat again, this time out of actual need, he called attention to himself. "First off, I'd like to congratulate everyone here who passed. It's been an honor to teach all of you, and I wish everyone luck in their new careers. Now, let's start off shall we? Team one; Juliana Pietas, Josephus Cafeum, Malus Medicus, under Kizzium Cocoum..."

And so he went on, going down the list. In the meantime, Naruto surveyed his prospective teammates, crossing them off as names got eliminated. He had an idea on how the teams are set up, but there was no way to tell for sure just how well he did, it could be anyone- "Team Six; Arcturus Fatuus, Thomasina Crepitus, Naruto Namikaze, under Ioannes Gladius." At that, he both heard a grumble, and a yell of joy from the boy sitting next to him. "The system works!" He yelled out. Behind them though, the same girl from yesterday yelled accusingly at the teacher. "Why do I have to be on a team with these two dimwits?"

Egidia frowned at her, lowering the then tablet he held. "Miss Crepitus, the reason why you're on their team, is because Naruto is the rookie of the year, and Arcturus is dead last." Naruto saw the boy beside him go rigid at that, before frowning, and pulling up the collar of his coat. "You are on their team, to balance them out. Having a perfect average, you fill that role perfectly." She scoffed at him, before falling back into her seat again.

Seeing no more interruptions, their teacher continued reading through the names. Slowly, one by one, the teams left with their jonin-leaders, their own wasting no time to take them away as well. He was somewhat of a tall man with raven blue hair, tied back in a short ponytail. His skin was light, but not pale. Wearing a weird gauntlet on his left hand, with the handle of a sword clearly visible on his back. He wore dark gray ANBU pants, the usual black armor they used covering parts of it, and a gray Jonin's vest, over-top of a normal black long-sleeve.

"Team Six, Follow." The newly christened genin did as they were told, and followed the man out of the room. He led them up the stairs, and over to a balcony. Gesturing to a metal bench, he leaned against the railing. "So, you're my genin team huh?" None of them gave an answer, taking it more as a statement then a question. He 'hmm'd to himself, looking over the team while rubbing his chin. "You'll do."

The genin, obviously, got a little upset about that. "You'll do? Is that really the best you can come up with! I'm the most awesome scientist in the city- no, in the land- No! In the entire world!" The speech became indecipherable at that point, simply devolving into maniacal and highly comical laughter… The Jonin was, how one would say, not amused in the slightest. "Right. I think we have him covered. How about you? You're a Namikaze, correct?" Naruto nodded. "Great to hear. Now, tell me your uhm... hmm…"

He held his hand up, signaling him to wait, as he thought back to himself. While he was doing so, he felt a nudge from his left, Arctur. "What's up?" His teammate looked to the right and left, as if to check if anybody was listening. "Wanna go get some food after this?" Naruto gave a smile. Sure, why not? Free food was always good. Especially when it wasn't made by uncle's servants. "Sounds great." Both were brought back, when their sensei held his finger in the air as an "ah-hah" moment.

"Naruto, tell me your likes, dislikes, dreams of the future, and your hobbies. I think that's it." He leaned back against the railing, staring intently at... Arctur. " Uhm... Gladius-sensei, I'm not Naruto." The Jonin gave him a confused look. "You're not? Then who are you?" "Uh… Arcturus Fatuus, Gladius-sensei." he said, while looking at their sensei in confusion.

"Ahh, of course. Well, while you're at it, might as well finish the report." Arctur nodded. "My name is Arcturus, but people usually call me Arctur. I enjoy SCIENCE and hanging out with my friends. I dislike people who disrespect me, and call me a fool. My dream is…" He paused thinking contemplating his next words, before smiling brightly. "My dream is to earn their respect by showing them how strong I can be. Oh, I also enjoy doing science, science, and talking to machines." He smiled brightly.

Their sensei gave him a look, clearly impressed with something. Hopefully it wasn't the last part. That was just weird. "Fantastic. Now, Naruto." Actually pointing to the right boy this time, Naruto spoke up. My name is Naruto Namikaze, the as of yet unofficial heir to the throne. I like to learn, and helping those people look down on. I dream of claiming my rightful place on the throne… Oh, uhm, I enjoy training, and hanging out with friends." The man gave a nod at that. "All nice, all nice. Though that last one seems farfetched. I mean, friends? Really?" The genin gave him even more confused looks, before he brought his hand to his chin again. "Oh wait, I messed that up." Deadpan. They deadpanned just so hard.

In a serious tone, he looked at Naruto. "What I meant to say was, if you ever plan on leading anyone, you need to train a whole hell of a lot more. Right now, I bet you couldn't even lead a trail of ants behind you if rolled yourself in sugar-water and pranced around a park. "He turned to the last genin, ignoring the heated look from Naruto. "Now then, you're next! Or, last I suppose."

The girl 'hmpd' and shifted her arms, a recently welded plate on her forearm clearly visible as the headband she receive yesterday, or part of it at least. "Thomasina Crepitis of Crepiris General. You can call me Masina. I like the feel of fresh grease on my clothes signaling a job well done, and hate it when my father calls me 'princess-Chan'." the boys held back a quick giggle, which she helped suppress with a glare shot their way. "My dream is to follow in the footsteps of my sisters, and become a great kunoichi, to be feared and respected by my peers. I enjoy fixing up old rigs, and helping my dad in the shop."

A short nod from their sensei. "Very good. All very nice. Right then. Everyone meet me at hmm... let's say, training room six? It's in this building, so you won't have to look far. Have a good evening." With that, their jonin sensei shunshined away to Kami knows where. Masina didn't waste a moment before getting up to leave. Arctur didn't miss a moment to get himself punched in the face by, uhm… "Masina-channnnn", as he called her.

Nursing a black eye and a bruised ego, Arctur brought up the prospect of catching lunch together, to which Naruto complied. "Naruto, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship." Naruto blinked, before looking at him. "You got that from a flick didn't you?" "Wha- no of course not! I totally meant it man." The blond shrugged, before giving flashing him that familiar Naruto smile. "I think so too, Arctur. "

* * *

**Chapter end**


	3. Enviormental Training

**A/N:**** This is the last chapter I have right now, and a new and fresh one will be out soon. Like the last chapter, there are many differences between this and the original draft. For one, I tried to make them seem less over-powered, and I'll try to refrain from mary-sueing Naruto's teammates. Thus said, enjoy the chapter.**

**Beta: Maru15 {My condolences.}**

* * *

Soragakure

Chapter 3: Environmental Training **{revised}**

* * *

**Academy Building, outside Training room Six. 13:54 p.m.**

* * *

The genin were, in a way, rather pissed. Their jonin sensei neglected to mention just when they were supposed to show up, and as a result, most of them had been waiting there since dawn. Naruto's stomach growled, briefly wishing he had brought lunch with him in his bag. He leaned back, conking his head on the metal door behind him. Both his teammates sat at either side of him, though Masina notably kept her distance from him and Arctur, who by now was sleeping on Naruto's arm.

As awkward as it was, the boy decided against waking his friend. If anything, at least he was finally being quiet instead of going on and on about the numerous contraptions he built back at home. Trying to be a good friend, he kept along as best he could, but even with all his tutoring, most of what the other boy blurted was incomprehensible techno-babble.

A sigh, and the blond decided he needed to stretch his legs. Careful not to wake his friend, he pushed himself off the floor, only to watch as the snow haired boy crashed to the side, only responding with a loud snore. With that settled, he started stretching back his arms, letting out a yawn. "Jonin-sensei sure is taking his sweet time isn't he?" The girl merely shrugged, before pulling out a screwdriver to fiddle with her arm.

Leaning back against the door, he looked over at the digital clock across the hall. "It's nearly two, where the hell is he?" He grumbled, before letting his head fall back again. There was a light 'ding!' from the clock, as it struck two, and at exactly the same moment the door slid open. Naruto, immediately taken by surprise, flailed his arms trying to grab the door frame only to fail and crack his head on the dirt behind him. Wait, dirt?

Opening his eyes, he saw their sensei staring down at him. "Ahh! Perfect timing!" He offered the boy a hand, to which said boy reached to accept. He was up soon after, but Gladius had his arm pinned behind his back in a very painful manner. "Gah! What the hell, sensei?"

The man only gave him a serious glance, his tone cold as steel. "First lesson: Never trust your enemy." Masina, having just woken up their third teammate, gave their jonin-sensei a look of confusion. "Enemy? Aren't you our Jonin-sensei?" He pushed Naruto away, who gave a grumble and rubbed his sore arm.

"Normally, yes. But not today. Today, I am your enemy. And until you manage to best me, I will never accept you as my students. You have until that clock…" He gestured toward a large wall clock that suddenly appeared in the… sky? What was that place? "Until that clock strikes midnight. Or was it noon? No, then you'd all have lost already. Hmm…"

He looked down at the wannabe ninja, before flashing them a short smile and disappearing in a rush of leaves. "Eh? Where'd he go?" Naruto looked around frantically, the others just as confused. Masina finally entered the room, being the last to enter. As soon as she did so, the doors shut right behind her, startling the genin. "What's going on sensei, what're we supposed to do?"

There was a rustle in the trees around them, as a voice echoed in the clearing. "Come and find me. Once you do, if you're able to defeat me, I'll make you a genin. If one of you fails to do so, then they'll be sent back to the academy. You have ten hours." There was a pause, before it spoke again. "Begin."

Immediately, the genin disappeared into the treeline. Gladius, leaning over the edge of the clock, smiled to himself. Naruto and Arctur left together, the snow haired genin following the other. Masina, like her sisters, had left on her own. He moved back from the edge, standing in the middle of the platform.

"Computer, spawn traps." There was a flash of light, as the terrain modified itself to his request. "Traps spawned." The voiced echoed over the whole area, and looking down, he could spot the worried and confused looks of his students. "You're all probably curious as to what this place is. This is one of the most state of the art training rooms available to Soragakure ninja. Welcome to the ETA, the Environmental Training Area."

"In here, everything you see, hear, and touch, is simulated. In just one room a ninja can tread vast deserts, treacherous marches, and endless forests. Using a highly experimental form of fuinjutsu, everything, from the grass on the ground to the clocks in the sky, is projected as a complex fusion of genjutsu and the Technique known as the Shadow Clone. From my vantage point I can instruct the room's main computer to spawn any environment or object I wish."

Down below, his genin were still searching frantically for the source of the voice. The jonin smirked at himself, and simply watched. He had already told everything they needed to know to find him. "Naruto, I think I heard something over here!" The blond looked over at his friend, who in turn was staring in the direction of a peculiar clicking sound. "Let's go check it out." With a nod from the other, the two genin dashed forth.

Getting closer to the sound, they noticed a small clearing, maybe three or so trees wide. "I don't see anything…" Arctur took a step forward, triggering the trap. At an instant, the clicking noise turned into a snap, as bombs exploded in their immediate vicinity. Naruto barely had time to reach out and grab his friend, before the clearing expanded ten fold into a large crater. The both stared at the sight, Naruto letting out a sigh of relief. "That was close. We need to be more careful." His friend could only nod, before darts and kunai suddenly flew out of the treeline. "Agh!" They jumped back, before dashing off and away from the area, which was clearly laced with traps.

"Hmm… think I overdid it?" The jonin asked of nobody in particular, while rubbing his chin and watching the sight take place before his eyes. He appreciated their cooperativeness, but they needed more than just themselves to complete this test. They needed a team, all three of them were necessary if they wanted to win.

Glancing at his right, he saw Masina narrowly avoid a pitfall trap, just in time to duck as a falling long nearly slammed her into the very same trap she had avoided. When it came back around, the girl simply braced her arm, and slammed a metal fist into the bark, a shower of splinters being the result. "She's strong, but brash." The girl looked around, scanning the area for traps, before moving on from the area.

Hours passed with neither Naruto and Arctur, or Masina on her own getting anywhere. Clearly, they needed a push in the right direction. By now, both sets were close, but had yet to notice one another. "Spawn decoy, silently." He sat down, watching just over the edge as a dummy with his general features, appeared in the middle of the cluster.

Naruto had spotted it appear, and was about to rush out before Arctur held out a hand. "Hold on, I think it's another trap." Having been alerted, Naruto looked closer at the dummy, before noticing tags plastered on its face. "It's rigged to blow. Nice catch man." The blond flashed his friend a smile, to which he replied with a smirk. "Anytime. Now come on, let's move on..." He trailed on, before noticing a glint of metal behind the figure. "Masina, no!"

On the other side of the dummy, she looked on, a victorious smirk on her face as she inched closer. _'Got you now.'_ She jumped out, throwing the metal at the figure, before pulling out another to land another blow. She watched in horror though, as the first kunai merely landed with a thunk, the features on the wooden face blank. The kunai triggered a hidden seal, and the tags on the dummy were set off with a sizzle.

Unable to change momentum, she merely braced herself for the inevitable explosion, before a streak of yellow popped out of the tree, tackling her to the ground in time for the tags to go off. He covered her with his body to protect her as chunks of wood and smoking parts were flung all of the clearing. After a few moments, she opened her eyes to see Naruto.

Startled at first, she quickly recovered and pushed the blond off of her. "Hands off!" She stood, dusting herself, before looking back at him. "...Thanks. I thought I was a goner for sure." He smiled, standing straight. "Anytime." Arctur, finally getting over the shock of it all, finally emerged from the trees. "That was... So cool! How'd you do that? Is that like, some kinda royalty thing?" Naruto gave a sheepish smiling, rubbing the back of his head, not used to this kind of attention.

Their jonin-sensei looked on with a smile. Maybe now they'd actually work together to find him, instead of against each other. Leaning back, he looked up at the simulated sky above him. He glanced at another clock he had set up on the platform, and announced to the genin just how much time they had left. "There are only a few hours left, little genin. I suggest you hurry if you have any hope of beating me in time."

He yawned in spite of himself, and pulled out a book. "I've been meaning to give you a read, hehehe..." He giggled a little, turning the first page of his special order of 'Icha Icha Paradise', personally signed by its author. "

"Come on Masina! We need to work together on this" She sighed, and turned around to face Arctur, forcing herself to not roll her eyes at his attempt at puppy dog eyes. Really, though, how was that even supposed to work with goggles? It made no sense. "Look, I can handle this on my own. I don't need you guys dragging me down." Her response was met with a frown.

"I want to do this myself-" "But we need to work together." Naruto interjected. "He's a full jonin, there's no way we could find him, let alone beat him, on our own. If you'll just give us a chance to talk, maybe we can work something out together, all three of us." She crossed her arms, looking away from them for a moment, before sighing. "Fine, but you guys better not hold me back, got it?"

Naruto smiled, and gave her a nod. "Okay, first things first, we gotta figure out where he's been hiding." He looked around, near the tops of the trees. "It's gotta be somewhere high up." They all looked around, while Arctur thought back to himself what they'd learned so far, and what he'd told them. "He seems kinda lazy, so he might've stuck close to one spot. With this room, all you need is to see where you want something, and ask for it to be generated. But, none of these trees were big enough to give that sort of vantage point.

_'Wait... vantage point...' _Arctur looked up, just in time to see the clock strike six. _'That's it!'_ He smiled, just barely spotting the jonin's legs, as they hung over the edge. "Guys, he's on the clock!" Both the genin turned to him, and looked up at where he was pointing. "What the- how'd he get up there?" Naruto shouted.

"More importantly, how are we supposed to get up there?" Arctur turned to his teammates, trying to come up with a plan. Above them, Gladius smiled to himself while turning a page of his book. _'Bout time they noticed.' _

Arctur looked about, searching for something they might be able to use. Masina shook her head, a look of frustration evident. "There's no way, none of us can jump that high. Unless you brought any power boots, of course." She paused, before looking at him again. "Did you?" The pale boy shook his head no, frowning. "I was messing with a pair I made the other day, and I haven't had a chance to fix them yet."

"Damn…" Naruto looked around, noticing a few explosive tags that failed to trigger. He paused for a moment, thinking. "Hey guys, hold up a sec, I have an idea." They watched, as he shuffled around in his pockets, before pulling out several kunai, and a few crumpled pieces of paper. "If we can't get to him, maybe we should bring him to us." Realization flashed across their features, and they all fished around for their own kunai and explosive tags.

Ten minutes later, they had their tags tied to their kunai, and set to blow. "On my mark... Go!" And with that, they let loose the kunai, as the metal screeched through the air, imbedding themselves into the large clock. Bracing themselves, they watched as the tags went off, utterly destroying the clock, and sending pieces of it all over the area around them.

Once the dust clouds settled, and the coughing subsided, the genin looked around. Hesitantly, Arctur asked his teammates the question that hung in the air."Do you think we got him?" Their answer to that of course, was their jonin-sensei flicking into existence before them in a swirl of leaves.

"That was a nice little trick you guys pulled. I'm almost kinda impressed." He smiled an infuriating smile. "Almost. Now, come at me when you're ready." He stood still for them, offering them the first move. Masina took a step forward before Naruto stopped her. "Hold up, we need to think of a plan." She gave a disgruntled look, briefly considering using him as a projectile.

Gladius watched the genin, a small smile on his lips. So far, the test was going as he expected it would. It took them a few minutes, whispering to each other while watching his every move. He watched as well, and waited for them to make the first move. Arctur took a step back from the two, before Naruto rushed forward, Masina right behind them.

The boy held kunai in both hands, reverse grip, while Masina jumped behind him. Momentarily distracted, he just barely ducked under a kick made by Naruto. _'Kid's fast.'_ he thought, before grabbing one of his legs, slamming him into the ground. 'But I'm faster.' He heard the whir of machinery, and had just enough time to perform a replacement, as he watched the rock in his place pulverized into rubble.

Arctur, following his movements, launched a series of projectiles at his location, flushing him back into the open. Masina, taking a hand full of rocks with her metal arm, launched them in a spinning furry, forcing his eyes to go wide as he replaced himself with a log, just in time to see it get ripped to shreds by the bullet-like projectiles.

Not having time to think, he was pushed out into the open again by Arctur, this time in reach of Naruto's fist. He jumped over, using his back as a launching pad to the other side of the clearing. He watched as the girl dashed forth, intent on landing a hit to his stomach. Waiting until the last moment, he took a hold of her arm, directing it elbow deep in the tree behind him. With her taken care of momentarily, he set his sights on Naruto again.

He watched as Naruto put his hands together, forming three Bunshin. _'Clones eh?' _The clones made a run for him, travailing in a tight cluster formation. At the last moment, he saw kunai pass through their forms, right at him. His eyes went wide, as he felt them pass through, his body bursting into water.

Around the puddle where their sensei had stood, the students had looks of confusion. Suddenly, a clipping sound echoed around them, and they all turned to see their sensei resting in a tree. "Very nice. You really gave my clone a good fun for his money there. Excellent use of the clones as a distraction, Naruto." The jonin jumped down, walking forward. "Was that a clone the whole time, Jonin-sensei?"

Their sensei smiled, and nodded. "Of course! There's no way I'd ever even let you come close to beating me. You barely beat the clone if I'm not mistaken." The response from his genin only sent him into a brighter mood. "Now then, I believe it's time for congratulations. You have all passed." With that, their looks of disdain for their sensei quickly shifted to ones of joy.

"Each of you got over your differences, and managed to join together to find me, and then you showed a brilliant use of tactics and teamwork, to defeat my clone. I'm glad to call you my students, and I personally welcome you into the service of Soragakure. Now, as I'm sure, most of you are probably getting hungry by now..." The in-sync rumbles of their stomachs were quick to confirm his suspicions. "As such, as a reward for passing my test, I wish to treat each of you to a victory meal."

Hearing their highly exaggerated cries of joy, he took that as a yes. "Computer, end simulation." With his command, the forest around them slowly flickered out of existence, instead transforming into a small room with blue tiles, and an intricate web of seals under a thin coating of glass. The door at the end of the room opened up to the hall, and Gladius was quick to exit.

"Don't doddle, we need to get moving so I can get you kids home in time for some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow, hehe…" The man's chuckle at the end of his words sent a chill down his students' necks, though they couldn't explain why...

* * *

**Oodles of Noodles. 18:23p.m.**

* * *

Despite the rather cheesy name, the food smelled wonderful as they walked inside the small restaurant. Gladius gave a smile to the hostess, who returned his smile with a light blush. "Didn't expect you back so soon… who are these?" The woman behind the podium looked at the genin behind him, who were already rather suspicious of his and her relationship. "I didn't think you had kids."

"Oh, no no, they're not mine. These are my students. I'm treating them tonight for successfully completing their test." The woman smiled, a little too relived for Naruto's liking. After a moment, she led them to their table, and handed the four some menus. "Someone will be here to take your order in just a moment." With one last glance of their sensei, she scurried off.

Masina was first to ask the obvious question. "You come here a lot or somethin', sensei?" He looked over his menu, an eyebrow raised. "Yes? Why do you ask?" She shrugged, looking over the menu again. "Just wonderin', Jonin-sensei." At that, he pulled his menu up again, calling to them from behind it. "You don't need to be so formal. Gladius is just fine."

After exchanging their orders with a server, who brought them their drinks, Naruto sat back in his seat next to Arctur. "So, what are we doing tomorrow sensei? An awesome mission I bet, probably protecting a princess or dealing with a bunch of ruthless bandits." He paused, "Wait, Caelia isn't in danger is she?" he asked, suddenly worrying for her after musing over what their mission would be.

Gladius waved his hands dismissively, a little amused by the blond haired genin. "No of course not. At least, not to my knowledge." he smirked, earning a grumble from Naruto, who only just realized how silly the idea was. "And, no, your mission tomorrow is going to be far more exciting and deadly, probably the most deadly mission you'll ever have to face. Ever."

The jonin smiled inwardly at himself, finding amusement in the worry on his genins' faces. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great. After your first mission, I'd like to take you back to the training room to discuss are regime." He looked as if he was going to continue on, but their food was suddenly brought before them.

Before Naruto, a bowl with some sort of noodles inside, and a wooden stick beside that. He watched as his sensei took his stick, and broke it in two, revealing them to be chopsticks. Quickly following suite, he quickly fished out a single noodle. Placing it in his mouth, he felt the whole world melt around him. _'What is this… wonderful taste...' _He took another bite, then another, and another...

In seconds, he was slurping the liquid from the bowl, and slammed the bowl down, startling his teammates. "Sensei, what is this?" Gladius, looking up from his meal, simply said, "Ramen." Naruto smiled. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever tasted! Ever!" He turned to the nearest server, thrusting the bowl at him rudely. "More please!" The man simply nodded, quickly accepting the bowl, not one to upset the royal family.

In minutes, his teammates looked on in shock as bowl after bowl stacked on top of each other. "W-where is he putting it all…" Arctur mumbled. Masina, unable to provide a clear answer, simply stared at the blond.

After the meal was finished, and the team of waiters dispatched to keep the boy content wheeled out the tray of empty bowls was gone, the team sat content. That is, until the bill arrived. An older man, shakily, put down the check, and dashed off to the kitchen. Gladius watched the scene take place with a wary eye, and dreadfully picked up the slip of paper. There was silence, before he set the paper back down. "Excuse me for a moment."

With that, the jonin carefully slipped past his students, heading toward the bathroom, never to return. It didn't take long for Masina, and Arctur to find excuses as well, and left Naruto alone in the restaurant with the check. He stared at the thing, daring it to make the first move. After working up the nerve, he careful turned the paper over.

He noticeably went pale, and set it back down immediately._ 'Uncle's going to kill me for this...'_ Taking out a wallet, with an image of a toad on the front, he pulled out a thin card and set it on the paper. In seconds the two vanished, as a man Naruto didn't notice was there quickly scooped them up. A minute later, and he could've sworn he heard cries of joy from the kitchen, a man came back with a wide grin, and returned the card and a receipt to him.

Naruto then, with a broken and defeated look, exited the dinner to make his long journey home, where uncle would no doubt have his head. _'Stupid ramen… why'd you have to be so delicious...?'_

* * *

**Hugo Prosthetic and Garage, downtown Soragakure. 19:45p.m.**

* * *

There was a click at the door, and Hugo Crepitus, the owner of the shop, looked up from his current work order. While not a portly man, he was quite rounded, and certainly not healthy for a man of his age. He ran a cloth over his face, wiping away the stress from today's work, and grabbed for his glasses to meet his daughter.

Entering the room, he maintained the look of a well trained businessman, even straightening his tie. "You're very late, Thomasina." She looked up from where she was sitting, already exhausted from having to run home. "Gladius-sensei kept us waiting all day." Her father gave a short nod, before sitting in his favorite chair. The room they were in then had very warm walls, with a TV serving as a centerpiece to shelves of books. He sat at the front of an arrangement of two couches, the red fabric of his complementing the brown of the others.

Setting down papers on the class coffee table, he looked over at his daughter. "How did your arm hold up?" she glanced down at it with the mention, frowning slightly. "Amazingly, like always. You always did make the best around here, you know that." He nodded, turning his gaze towards the black screen of the TV.

Silence was evident for awhile, before he spoke again. "Your brother missed you today. You should've seen him when he was rushing around, trying to keep up with your workload." A smile, and she leaned her head back. "Well, he'll just have to deal with it." The older man gave a dry chuckle, and turned away, reading the book titles on the shelves across from him, a question still heavy in the air.

"I wish your sisters came over more, they would have loved to have been here for you." Masina gave a short nod, before turning her gaze back to the ground. The air remained stiff, before she finally excused herself, heading upstairs too bed. A moment longer, and the man found himself reaching for his handkerchief again, not to wipe the sweat from his brow, but to dry the tears in his eyes before they had a chance to fall. _'Oh, Elena... if only you could see them now…'_

* * *

**A rundown area of town, same time.**

* * *

A young boy walked inside a cold and empty room, lightly kicking a robotic arm out of his way as he did so. Locking the door with a click, he ran his finger over the light-switch, letting a blue light fill the void. There was scattered junk and unfinished projects strewn about the room, as well as several week old dishes hidden under the metal, gathering dust and mold. He really needed to clean up more in here.

He carefully wove his way through, using the path he kept tidy up to his room, pausing briefly as he past a closed room. Giving it a solemn look, he continued on and slid into his room, which he kept a lot cleaner then the rest of his home. He flopped into a chair, pulling it over some papers and started making more notes to his design from the other day, though he doubt he'd ever even start it.

In the end, he simply crumpled up the paper, and tossed it into an overfilled trashcan, filled with even more paper. Slumping against the desk, he thought over that day's events, earning a smile that stuck to his face, even as he gazed at an old picture frame.

Inside, was a photo of a man and a woman, with similar pale skin and hair, holding a small bundle in each other's arms. "I made you guys proud today, you should've seen me out there…" His thoughts drifted off, and he made a motion with his hand to wipe his face. "It won't be long now. We'll be together again before you guys know it." He sighed, still keeping a smile.

* * *

**The Royal Training grounds. 20:43**

* * *

Naruto stood in the center of the yard, dripping with sweat, and panting heavily. "Again!" A stiff man yelled out, and Naruto launched into a series of complex kicks and jabs, barely ruffling the man as he effortlessly returned each hit, ending with a solid kick to Naruto's chest, who slid across the ground. "Again!"

Like he suspected, Naruto's uncle was not pleased with learning just how much his nephew had spent at a commoner's restaurant. As such, his punishment was that. A hardcore training session with one of his taijutsu instructors, who refused to hold back against the young boy. Naruto was sent sliding again, and the instructor urged him on once more. Without hesitation he dashed forward, trying to complete the same move his instructor was trying to drill into his brain.

"Again!" The boy was looking really exhausted now, but he sucked in a breath, and went for the attack again, and again, and again. No matter how many times he tried, he always got sent back flying. From an open balcony, his uncle watched on in silence, as did his daughter. "Again!" The only voice to pierce the night was the instructor's, and it had been this way since the start of the session.

_'God dammit…'_ Naruto swore to himself, as he was knocked onto the ground, instead of just sliding back on his feet. Yet even then, he pushed himself up, solidifying his resolve to wipe that look right off his tutor's face. He didn't give him a chance to call out for him, and instead intermediately took a swipe of his legs. The man simply jumped over it, and kicked Naruto back to the ground, flipping back onto his feet.

"Again!"

* * *

**Chapter end**

* * *

**A/N:**** Thus ends my revised chapters. Please do not hesitate to tell me you thoughts and feelings in a review, if you'd like to of course. Next chapter will be up sometime in the near future, I hope you look forward to the next installment! ** _~mal_


	4. Oncoming Traffic

**A/N: Ah here we go, the first officially 'new' chapter of this story. It's been a long time coming, but I'm confident now that I can finally take this story to the heights I first imagined it to reach. Hopefully You'll enjoy this, and I would like to thank anyone who has added this to the watch list. **

**Beta: Maru15 {Thank you for pointing out my mistakes for me, they have been fixed.}  
**

* * *

Soragakure

Chapter 4: Oncoming traffic.

* * *

**TR{training room}6. 11: 32**

* * *

When the genin were preparing to join their sensei that morning, only too late did they realize that he'd forgotten to inform them of when they'd meet up. Again. In the event that they were to arrive early they all rushed out the doors barely prepared as well as missing breakfast. That was four hours before, and the genin started to suspect he'd forgotten about them as well.

Naruto leaned against the wall, while Arctur slept on the floor as they had done the day before. Masina proceeded to sit on Arctur's back rather than on the cold floor, though the boy didn't seem to notice. The blond conked his head on the back wall, and absently watched the clock across from him _'Where is he...?'_ He let out a sigh and simply toyed with a kunai from his pack out of boredom, while he waited.

"Think he'll show up Naruto?" He glanced up from the bit of metal in his hands over to where their third teammate sat, and could only manage a shrug in response. "No clue. He better though or I swear I'll…" His thoughts were interrupted as a figure appeared at the end of the hall, and looked at the genin in confusion. "Jonin-sensei?" Naruto started, with Masina jumping up from Arctur. "You're late!"

Gladius only blinked, and cocked his head to the side. "Have we met?" The man was met with silence, as the two awake genin simply stood in utter disbelief. "Seriously? We just met a day ago!" The jonin only scratched his head, "You sure? I would've remembered someone loud like you." Masina simply fumed, completely and utterly angry at their sensei. In a surprise move the jonin flashed a smile, and held his finger in the air.

"Ah wait, I remember now! You're my new genin team." He nodded to himself, clearly impressed with his ability to solve the mystery of 'The Mysterious Genin.' The girl looked as if she was about to tear out her own hair, when the second boy woke up with a snort. "Eh? Is he here yet?" Rolling her eyes, she helped Arctur to his feet before returning a glare at their Jonin-sensei.

"Right right, I have our mission already." Pulling out a slip of paper from a pocket, he passed it to Naruto, the closest to him, who looked it over. "What the heck is this? 'Catch Countess Amia's pet sand mole?'" Masina took the paper from the blond, only to react in a similar fashion. "Yeah Sensei, why are you having us do this boring shit?" She grumbled and tossed the paper at the snow haired genin's head.

"This is how all ninja start out. You didn't actually expect me to send you three out to get yourselves killed fresh out of the academy, did you?" The jonin sighed to himself at their confused expressions, and decided to clarify. "When a genin team is first drafted, they must perform a series of team-building D-rank missions until they are deemed fit for the harder C-ranks. Until the time I deem you ready, we will do as our king asks and help out around the city. Understood?"

The genin nodded, albeit begrudgingly at their sensei. Just because they had to do it didn't mean they had to like it. "Good. Now follow me, I'll take you to where the lil' rat- I mean, Countess Amia's royal pet, was last spotted." His students were quick to catch his slip of tongue, and started to wonder, _'How bad could it be?'_

It was then, nearly three hours later that it became obvious just how bad it could be, and how much worse it had become. They had tracked the little vermin little over an hour ago, and had it corned several times before they finally followed it to a high roof top. All three of the children were littered with cuts, scratches, and bite marks from the horrible creature. It was small, with coarse sandy fur, with a stout hairless tail and black, beady, soulless eyes. And the teeth, oh Kami, the teeth.

It arched its back as it saw them approaching, opening its maw wide to threaten the genin away. Arctur was sweating, as he considered whether or not to just run away then. The sand mole scooted back against the wall, before jumping onto it to peer down to the streets far below him. The creature seemed to be weighing its options, even briefly considering jumping. Anything was better than heading home to that monster. It shuddered, and turned to face the three ninja.

"Nowhere to run this time." Naruto smirked, claw marks evident over his face as he approached full of caution. Arctur stood in the back holding a small cage made of a black metal mesh, and was obviously shaking. Masina approached on its right, while the blond to its left. Mustering up the courage, it dashed off the ledge and back onto the white tiles that made up the roof. "Quick get it!" the girl yelled to her more skittish teammate.

The pale boy jumped, nearly letting it get past him before he slammed the cage down and covering it with his whole body. The small creature let out shrieks of terror and frustration as it started to nip at his hands from behind the bars. Naruto knelt down, and forced the cage door shut underneath the creature. With the package secure the team sat back with a sigh of relief. "Finally..." The blond smiled, and looked at his teammates. "We did it guys! We have finally caught 'The Bane of Sora!'"

They returned his smile with ones of their own, and proceeded to rest for however long as they could. Footsteps became evident behind them, and Masina looked up to see their jonin-sensei standing over the three. "Great job, team." Despite his jonin status, he had more than a few cuts marking his skin as well, showing just how dangerous the sand mole really was. "The countess will be... so happy..." He feigned a smile, obviously wishing this was more an assassination then a capture.

"You carry it." Arctur pushed the cage over to the man, whom noticeably jerked back in fear. Gaining a hold of himself, he picked up the cage by its handle and held it at arm's length. "We better get moving then, the sooner we dispose- Er, drop it off, the better." The genin nodded, and pushed themselves back to their feet. As he was looking over his team, his eyes lingered on Naruto, nearly going wide when he watched as his wounds simply vanish. _'Is that... a kekkei genkai?'_

The boy didn't even seem to notice, so Gladius decided it was best not to ask him for now. But he did plan on bringing this to the king's attention latter, perhaps he had some insight into why the genin healed so fast. Putting up a smile, he led his team down the building, them grumbling all the way for their sensei making them all use the stairs. But as his back was turned, he only continued to muse to himself about the boy. _'Naruto, just what secrets are you hiding from us...'_

Hall of Strength. 12: 05

The genin team shuffled past a group of other ninja, who they briefly recognized from class. Gladius walked through an open archway which led to a wide room with hard metal floor tiles, of which were a deep red. On the far side of the room, the entire wall was composed of glass braced by black metal bars, which gave a lovely view of the royal compound below. The walls were silver and gray, very muted in comparison to the rest of the room

Before the large windows, lay a long crimson table of which sat ninja of varying ranks, including their old teacher who seemed bust with a report. "Egidia-sensei!" Naruto shouted as he rushed over to the desk. "Eh? Naruto?" The chunin gave a startled response, but quickly smiled when he saw the boy rushing toward him.

The Jonin smiled as he watched the two exchange greetings, and he quickly followed behind the boy with the other two genin in tow. "Team Six reporting, mission was successful." Upon playing the cage on the table the chunin jerked back noticeably, though he tried to maintain a straight face. "Of course! I never would have expected anything less of you or your… students." He hesitated to call them his students, it still only having been a day since they left his care.

He turned toward one side of the hall and called out to a chunin standing guard to fetch the countess. With a brief nod, the girl disappeared from her spot to locate the woman. The sooner that thing was out of here, the better for all of them.

With the countess being located, Egidia decided to get a head start on their forms of mission completion, and was quick to assign checks to the genin. "Here you go, your first payment as ninja of Sora. I'm proud of all of you." He gave them a comforting smile, and they returned with ones of their own.

Moments later and the chunin girl appeared, a rather tall woman accompanying her. Team six, including their jonin, could only gawk in surprise. _'Sh-she must be some kind of amazon...'_ Masina thought to herself, dumbfounded on how anyone could grow so tall. The woman approached, wearing an expensive red dress with a furred boa around her neck. Reaching down with a smile, she unlocked the cage and held the poor creature in her arms. "My darling, you've been gone from mommy for far too long. Let's get you home and washed up."

She turned and left, the sand mole aiming pleading looks at anyone willing to listen. Naruto only returned its plea with a stuck out tongue, thinking to himself, _'serves that wretched thing right!'_ Their old chunin teacher called attention to the genin, before waving his hands. "You're all dismissed for now."

They gave him nods of acknowledgment, and turned to their sensei. "You guys go along, I have something to discuss with your old teacher." His eyes lingered briefly on Naruto, before shooing them away as well. With the genin gone, he turned to Egidia with a serious look on his face.

"I need to speak with our lord, immediately. It's about Naruto." The chunin had a slight look of confusion grace his features at seeing the normally laid back jonin so serious. "Naruto? What has he done now?"

Gladius shook his head slightly, before returning his look at the other man. "No it's nothing like that, but it still demands our lord's attention immediately. Egidia paused, before taking out a small form. "I can schedule an appointment with him right away if it's important." The jonin nodded at him his confirmation. "Good, make it as soon as possible."

With that, the jonin turned and left, leaving the chunin to himself still confused. _'What's going on with Naruto now?'_

* * *

**Downtown Soragakure. 13:14**

* * *

Soragakure was known to many nations as a highly advanced and beautiful village, and at that many people flocked to it every month. As such, it remained as one of the largest of the shinobi villages, if only population-wise. With so many people in a city such as that, everyone is going everywhere and thus fast transportation is a necessity. In that city people very rarely walked, save for exercise or to conserve money.

As a result, people resorted to an array of chakra powered vehicles to move around on a day-to-day basis. Soragakure scientists had long since discovered how to leech and store chakra for use as a sort of 'Ultimate power source.' Even still, the process was costly and volunteers were few and between. Some people even learned how to meld chakra themselves, as a way to power their vehicles without having to pay for chakra-cells.

Modern streets curved and snaked their way around the city, acting almost as a circulatory system with vehicles traveling to and fro delivering people to their destinations. To a foreigner, the sight was breathtaking, especially from atop a high building so one could see all the street levels. Not everyone was taken with just using ground transport, and special rails had been constructed as a means to escape the high traffic below.

The rails were actually miles of steel laced with chakra conducting metals in which transports glided across. Anchored to the buildings close to them, they at times went high above the streets in order to avoid unnecessary traffic. Even with those in place to lessen the congestion of the streets, many preferred to stick close to the ground instead of the air. Streets were still a crowded, fast-paced, and stressful place for any commuter and even more stressing for the people on the sidewalks.

It was at one of the many busy intersections that Team 6 stood, waiting in confusion as their jonin sensei watched the cars pass by, losing himself in the intricate dance taking place. Arctur was first to speak up, sitting from a nearby metal bench in front of a large planter. "Jonin-sensei, how are we supposed to be training out here? Shouldn't we be back at the academy?"

Gladius, broken from his trance, looked at his students with a smirk. "You can't honestly believe that all training would be done there, did you? Real shinobi don't even need holograms to train." He leaned against a nearby light post and motioned to the street beside him. "Today, we'll see just how well you can dodge and evade."

The genin still looked confused, until realization struck Naruto's face. "No way.. .You don't mean we're going to..." The jonin let loose an almost feral grin. "Yes, you're going to be dodging the single most deadly and unpredictable force in the whole universe. A human late for work and inside a ten-ton vehicle."

The children let out gasps of disbelief, Naruto voicing his concern and utter disbelief at their sensei. "No way! We could get killed!" At that, the jonin simply nodded. "Exactly. The TR is a completely safe place where there's no possibility of injury outside of someone hitting you directly. You'd be too laid back knowing you can't die to take something like this seriously."

Naruto paused, before flailing his arms at him. "How is that a reasonable excuse to make us run into traffic! I thought you were supposed to be helping us, not killing us!" He grinned again, and grabbed hold of the boy's shirt collar. "I am helping you! I'm helping you by making you face real danger!" With that, he shoved the boy right into the busy street.

Immediately the world seemed to slow down for Naruto, and he could see each car coming straight for him. He took a step forward, letting a blue one whiz past him before jumping in time to miss a silver truck. He landed in the middle, and had to wait until he saw an opening, and rushed past, almost running right into another. He stepped back, just barely leaning over another that passed behind him. Two more steps forward and he collapsed on the other side of the street, breathing heavily.

He heard his sensei call out from the other side of the street. "Great job Naruto! Okay, you're up next!" Despite his protests, Arctur was pushed forward, going about the street in much the same way Naruto did, albeit with a lot less grace and more utter panic. It didn't take long, and soon the boy had joined his friend on the other side.

Masina was last, and didn't even need their sensei to 'motivate' her into crossing. She simply set her face in stone, before making a forward leap into the rushing cars. She took it all in stride, almost as if she'd done this before. A car came forward, she'd lean back then rush past, not even pausing in the middle of the street before bracing the other side. The two boys were stunned, and watched her while slack-jawed at the display of sheer grace.

Even with her standing in front of them, they still didn't quite recover. "What are you two staring at?" She grunted, before walking over them to lean against a tree, the very essence of 'cool' surrounding her.

Gladius smiled at his students, before ghosting through the traffic as well, barely moving above a brisk walk. His body seemed to shimmer in and out of existence, laying a hint onto just how fast their sensei was moving. Who was that man?

"Very good! You survived the first one!" He smiled at the genin, who merely returned his smile with glares of displeasure. Their jonin put on a skittish look, scratching the back of his head. "Why'd you make us do that?" Arctur asked, between breaths. In a moment their jonin-sensei had recovered, and had a serious look on his face.

"In the ninja world, danger lies everywhere, and you can't let anything catch you off guard. One moment you could be standing peacefully in a forest, and the next hundreds of knives and kunai are rushing past you at incomprehensible speeds. This is an effort to mimic just what it feels like, and to prepare you before it happened." He started to see some comprehension in their faces, before he smiled again.

"Good! You're starting to understand! Now, I want you to do it again." He couldn't have laughed with the looks they were giving him, but instead he just gestured back to the street behind him, before jumping into a tree to watch. "Go! Ten laps each of you!" He smiled, watching the groans on their faces, before they each dashed forward.

The danger out there was real, but with him around, none of them would really get hurt. Even if one of them tripped or moved just a second to late, he had the power to swoop in at the last moment and save them. Being one of the fastest join of Soragakure certainly helped with that. He pulled out a familiar book, not really reading it, as he watched the children conduct their exercise for that day.

There was promise in them, that was for sure. A girl of the Crepitus clan was certainly something he knew would keep things interesting, knowing how their family usually was and their abilities. He'd personally seen the famous 'Sisters of Sora' in battle before, and looked forward to seeing if Masina took after her family. Already her hot-headed attitude and independence was showing. He'd have to work on that, so she didn't go rushing off into battle without thinking and leaving her team behind.

The son of two famous medical shinobi was among them as well, and he was already more like his parents that one would care to admit. The intelligence was there, that was for sure. The strategy he had come up with during the test was remarkable, and he had to give the kid credit. His energetic attitude and odd habits were already proving to be another wild card, but he quickly gained a cool head when danger was evident. As was clear in that situation.

Then there was Naruto... Son of the missing prince, and the nephew of their king. He was a bright and happy child. He and Arctur were already close friends, and if he remembered right from their teacher, he was a very friendly child as well. There was something else about him too, his hidden intelligence and skill no doubt as a result of numerous tutors, most of it lay hidden behind a thin mask. And then there were the injuries he suffered from their first mission today, with how quickly they healed. Could he be showing signs of his family's bloodline?

No, that wasn't it. Healing like that was unnatural, he had never known a genetic ability that allowed one to heal so fast. It was something else, something even more mysterious. He'd be sure to get his answers when the meeting with his lord came about. He had a feeling there was something he wasn't being told, and he just had to know.

He was brought out of his bemusings when he noticed his students collapse on the ground next to his tree. He smiled again, before putting his unread book away and jumping down to greet his students with a job well done. There'd be time to wonder about things later, for now he had students to attend too.

* * *

**Office of the king, the following day.**

* * *

Gladius stood before the aging man across from him, who had chosen to wear clothing reminiscent of the five Kage. Save the fact that his cloak was tinged with gold embroidery, and he lacked the trademark hat that usually accompanied the job. A desk stood in front of him, a large piece of metal balanced atop for golden dragons holding it up by their heads at the four corners.

Paper lined the desk, and filing cabinets sat behind the man. Normally the tasks of paperwork were left to lower-ranking officials, but work was overflowing from the top and he had just as much to do as his servants. His pale blue eyes showed their age as he looked up at the jonin from the mess that was his office.

The old man had his face set in a frown, a hint of anger lying just beneath the surface. Normally a man of his status and power was in much better control of his own emotions, but today was an exception, especially considering how much stress he'd been under lately and the subject of the current meeting. "You saw it then? Its power?"

Gladius gave a small, cautious nod, suspicious of how he described what he saw. _'Its power? Just what is 'It'?'_ The jonin waited patiently, watching his lord clasp his hands together, pressing them against his face to concentrate. "I knew this would happen eventually. I've read tales about its healing power, but I didn't expect it to show up so soon. Gladius, you know of Naruto's father, the missing son of my late brother?"

He issued a short nod in response, trying to keep himself calm and prepared for whatever revelation came his way. "Then you know that, after him and his mother were stolen away he grew to become the Hokage of Konoha." another nod. "Good, this bit of information has to do with his last act in this world, an event that the village has tried to keep hidden from other shinobi villages like this one."

"My nephew's lover was a woman from a long gone country, and in herself she contained a powerful beast of legend. A bijuu, the Nine-tailed fox." The old man took a pause, watching the jonin's eyes go wide with this new information. "When Naruto was born, the seal that kept the beast in place was weakened, and it eventually broke. The fox was let loose on the village of Konoha, free to wreck havoc and destroy all in its path. In a valiant effort, my nephew sealed the beast away again, into a newly born baby, to protect the village."

"As you might've guessed by now, that boy was Naruto. Naruto is a Jinchuriki, the human prison of that very same fox." By now, what little attempt that Gladius had made to hide his emotions was gone, and only shock was left on his face. "One of my agents was able to witness the events that took place, and lay in wait a year to bring the boy here. What you witnessed yesterday was just a sample of his true power. The beast inside him can heal him in seconds, which will prove to be a valuable asset to this village indeed."

The jonin had by now drawn himself out of his stupor, and felt an unsaid question rise in his head. "This is a very high ranking secret Gladius, and I hope that you keep this information hidden for now, even from Naruto himself. Let the boy discover on his own the power he holds. When he does, he'll be ready for what's in store. You are dismissed." Gladius gave a short bow, before leaving the office of his king.

_'What are you planning, oh king of ours?'_ He shook his head, shaking the question from his mind. It's a shame that he couldn't forget things at will, because he knew that the question would lay there unmoved, long past its welcome.

* * *

**Chapter End**


	5. Vertical Ascension

**A/N:**** Hello all, I apologize for the delay. I've had this chapter ready for awhile, but I was waiting for my beta to lok over it. As of yet, this chapter remains unbeta'd. Again, I'm sorry for the wait. This chapter isn't as long as I would've ;liked, nor am I entirely happy with it. Untill I start the team's first C-rank mission, it'll mostly be filler. But not to worry, it'll be coming soon. ** **For now, Please enjoy. I would love to hear some feedback and if you spot any mistakes, I'd appreciate you notifying me. **

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Soragakure  
Chapter five: Vertical Ascension

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**Office of the King**

The academy of Soragakure was a rather famous one, simply for its sheer size. Like many of the buildings on the floating cityscape, it was a large metal tower that ascended high in the air. Being as large as it was, it wasn't simply a shinobi exclusive academy, and taught many civilian and practical classes as well.

That said, it still taught a great many of potential ninja that graduated each semester. The most recent class, of nearly one hundred students, barely half managed to make genin. And even then, the number was cut down even more by the Jonin senseis that sent back students. Total, only six team managed to avoid the cut.

Six genin teams alone would usually be enough in most villages, more than enough even. After all it was always more about quality then numeracy. But just because the king expected more, he didn't want them to be weak either. But even still, he needed more shinobi if they were ever going to be strong enough.

Even with being one of the oldest ninja villages, they were excluded from the five great villages and labeled as minor. The king would prove to the world the strength of Sora, just because he wasn't a kage didn't mean he wasn't strong enough to lead his people.

He reached for a pen, and made a letter to the academy that he would be arriving before the start of the next semester, in order to provide a speech to the genin hopefuls. Hopefully that would be enough to make them work harder, so he could finally possess the strength he so wished to obtain.

With the letter signed and dated, he sent it off with one of his assistants while also requesting his guard to fetch the six jonin senseis of the current group. There were matters to discuss regarding their training, and he needed to make sure they went through with his plans.

It didn't take long, and soon enough the six jonin were waiting, kneeling to their king in a sign of respect. "Rise Jonin of Sora." As they stood, he leaned back into his chair, his hand coming to the thinning hair that fell over his eyes, pushing it out of the way. "I want each of you to give me a current assessment of your teams, tell me their strengths and their weaknesses. Start from the left and go across." With a nod to the woman on his farthest left, they spoke.

He paid special attention, and carefully recorded the information in his mind for future references. So far, things looked promising. There were only a few teams that seemed to be lacking more than the others, those he would have to pay special attention to. It wouldn't do to have weak genin in his forces. Most of them seemed strongest at scouting and infiltration, a valuable trait. But he needed a weapon, something to spearhead the group.

It was then that Gladius started to speak, standing straight as he did with a face set in stone. A true master of his emotion if there ever was one. "My lord, my team has been showing a lot of promise and talent this past week, as a fighter group. We have a strong taijutsu specialist, the youngest heir of the Crepitus clan."

The king's eyebrow raised slightly at that, as he thought to himself about that particular detail. He knew much about that clan, as well as many of their talents and techniques. But he didn't have time to ponder more, as the jonin continued on. "Arcturus Fatuus, an intelligent strategist and inventor. And lastly, your nephew Naruto Namikaze, who shows potential in both taijutsu as well as ninjutsu. So far, none of the three have displayed any interest or talent for genjutsu or kenjutsu, and I suspect it may be to early for fuinjutsu. Though I believe with a little push, my students can excel with the three arts.

"Masina's older sisters, the famous three all female team of Soragakure, are all kenjustu specialists. With their clan techniques, it's possible she may choose to follow in their footsteps. Arctur comes from a long line of medical-nin, so I believe he may possess their famous chakra control and could prove to be an impressive genjutsu specialist, if given time. Your family and clan have long been heralded as experts of fuuinjutsu, and Naruto may possess a talent for it as well."

Gladius took in a short breath, to steady himself after talking for so long. Their king leaned back in his seat and watched his jonin, deep in thought. The information provided to him by his jonin was being carefully analyzed by the almost computer-like brain he possessed, each detail scanned and saved in his mind while also forming new strategies and formations to accommodate the new genin.

His nephew's team was most surprising, he recognized both the clan names and recalled the famous Iron Blades of Sora, the team Gladius referred to. Closing his eyes, he quickly organized a new plan for the six jonin-senseis before him.

"Each of you will put your teams through the advanced training regime. I will be preparing scrolls with specific instructions for you to follow latter. As soon as you receive them, begin the advanced training. You will all start with the basic chakra control exercises, vertical surface ascension, and then liquid skimming. From there on there will be more specialized instructions keyed to your team's strengths.

"I fully expect you to customize them as you see fit, and enhance their training in areas that seem appropriate. If all goes well, these new genin will be ready for what I have planned. You are all dismissed." The men and woman before him bowed slightly, before vanishing from his office in puffs of smoke.

With them gone from his office, he stood up from his seat and walked in front of the window behind his desk, to gaze down at his city below. '_The days of being oppressed by the other great nations, will soon be over.'_

* * *

**TR6 The following day**

Gladius stood in the middle of an empty field, his students were currently drenched in sweat after having just finished their morning exercises. Each day, he would be starting them off with a series of stretches and then have them run around a trail through a pseudo forest in order to start building their stamina. Being a primarily offensive team, he needed them to be stronger physically first off, to give them advantage in a physical confrontation.

Naruto was the first of the team to recover, followed my Masina where Arctur proceeded to pass out on the ground. He stifled a sigh, and instead walked to the shortest of his students, and stop on his hand, waking the boy instantly with a yelp of pain. Ignoring the annoyed grumble by the snow haired boy, he turned to his team as a whole. "Today we will start the first step of your new training."

He called out to the room's AI, and ordered it to cease the training session. With that, the room reverted to its normal shiny state. With a gesture, he moved out of the room with the genin in tow. Once they entered the elevator, Naruto spoke up, "Why are we leaving the training room, jonin-sensei?"

The man responded with a sort smile, which seemed to terrify his students. "Much like before, I want you to get the full experience. Besides, much of what I will have you do can only be done outside. Come on." With him talking, they didn't notice until he left that they'd reached the bottom floor.

Quickly, he led them outside and turned left, walking them a ways away from the academy and deeper into the city. Around them, people gave the genin short nods of respect, and moved out of their way as they passed through the crowds. Naruto shrugged them off, trying to keep himself hidden from their looks, an act not unnoticed by their sensei.

When they finally reached their destination, it was a part of the city where buildings stretched higher into the air then anywhere else in the city. He turned around to them, offering the same smile from the elevator causing them to noticeably tense in fear. He crossed his arms, before leaning against the metal wall behind him.

"Today, you'll start conducting exercises to increase your chakra control. As per the usual, we'll start with Vertical Ascension." Noting their confused looks, he took the move to demonstrate. Pulling away from the building, he stepped forward before leaping high up and latching onto the wall, before standing and staring down at the surprised expressions on his students' faces.  
"This will not only help you to learn to control your chakra better, but this is an essential for any ninja to know before venturing beyond the city to the mainland. The trick here is to maintain a constant flow of chakra on the soles of your feet, too much will launch you off and reversely to little and you won't stick at all. So, be mindful of the traffic and property damage." With that, he leaped down in front of them.

Sitting down on a nearby bench, he gestured for his team to start while he leaned against the back. "Try to get a running start, it might help." With that, Masina was the first to rush forward, taking three steps before leaving a notable crack in the wall. "That'll be coming out of our mission pay. Keep that in mind." He quipped, sparing the girl a glance.

This went on for a few hours, Arctur not surprisingly, making the most progress of the genin. Naruto was having a harder time maintaining his control, and frequently left imprints from where he launched off the wall. Likely it was due to the bijuu inside him, granting him much higher levels of chakra then was normal. He'd need to find a way to improve his chakra control faster, or else he'd never be ready and be more susceptible to genjutsu.

The boy also seemed to shy away from the attention he gained from being a member of the royal family, likely why he chose to wore civilian clothing instead of more normal shinobi attire. In fact, the only one in the group that seemed vaguely like a ninja was himself and possibly Masina. He noted to try and encourage them to find stealthier clothing later, though appearing to be a civilian could prove more useful than looking like a shinobi.

No that any of them besides Naruto looked like civilians. The other boy was always wearing that white coat, something that would stick out if he was on a stealth mission. He sighed to himself, rubbing the back of his head. '_Kids these days, always trying to look so original.' _His musings were interrupted by a soft thud, and he turned to see Arctur stumbling around, having just picked himself up after falling from a considerable height.

Gladius blinked, before the genin fell over again, passing out. He sighed, before walking over to the genin, poking him with a stick to see if he was still alive. The boy stirred slightly, giving the jonin some relief. '_Good, he's not dead. ...yet.' _Picking the child up, he laid him down on the bench before turning his gaze back to the other two.

Both were making considerable progress, and scaling the building high enough that it was almost hard to spot them. Once they lost control, they'd turned to their feet and pump chakra to soften the blow. But by now,m the height was enough to make both of them wince when they landed. Deciding that it was enough for today, he called his other students over.

"Tomorrow we'll be doing the same thing, and I want you to keep practicing until you can reach the top safely. Just be mindful of the sidewalk on your way down." He smiled again, showing a near complete disregard for his student's safety. "But by then, you'll probably be able to land without any trouble. Probably."

The two genin sweat a little, exchanging worried glances at one another before turning back to their sensei. Masina was the first to notice Arctur on the bench. "Hey, what happened to him? He alright?" Naruto turned and followed her gaze, a look of worry flashing onto his face. Gladius waved them off, "Don't worry, he's fine Just exhausted. Possibly concussed." He was met with blank stares, and he sweat dropped slightly at them.

"Fine fine, we'll take him to the hospital. Jeaze, you two worry too much." Kneeling down, he hefted the boy over his shoulder, before turning back to his students. "We'll meet you at the Hall of Honor later for a mission in an hour." With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the other two students standing on the sidewalk. "Wanna go get something to eat first?" Masina looked thoughtful for a moment, before shaking her head.

"No thanks Naruto, I gotta head home before we go on our mission today." Turning on a heal, she left the boy alone, right when someone burst through the doors of the building they've been scaling all day. "Agh! What have you done! You, You're paying for this!" Naruto turned, shocked at the man's sudden appearance. "...Damnit sensei, this was your fault."

* * *

**Hall of honor, an hour later. **

Thankfully, Arctur didn't appear to be all that injured, and aside from a mild case of chakra exhaustion and a bump on the head, he was fine. At least, that was what Gladius had said. The doctor had bandaged his head, and he was currently standing beside their sensei. Though he was wobbling slightly, every time it seemed he was going to take a nosedive Gladius held onto his collar, pulling him back up. Obviously the boy was doing worse than implied.

Though whenever Masina or Naruto brought it up, their jonin-sensei would wave them off. "See, he's doing great!" He exclaimed, while grabbing his arm and shaking it slightly, and doing a poor imitation of their friend. "Yep I'm just fine nothing to worry about, science and all that haha!" The genin simply stared at the odd man, when a cough came from behind them.

"I hope you're not killing my students Gladius-san." Egidia glared at him with his arms crossed, clearly not providing. With a cough, their jonin stood straight with a look of complete innocence. Arctur started leaning forward again, before he was grabbed by his collar and pulled up straight. The boy continued to stare off into space, before noticing their old teacher. "O-oh, hello egida-sensei... why are there four of you?"

the other genin sweat dropped slightly, while Egidia let out a hard sigh. "Genin Arctur is excused from today's mission, please take him to a hospital Gladius-san, I know you bandaged him yourself." The older Jonin let out a short fake laugh, waving the other man off. "You must be seeing things Egidia, clearly this is the work of excellent doctors!" He pushed the boy in front of him, as if presenting him. A moment later, a light thud was heard as the boy took a nosedive.

"H... thought the floor looked comfy?" The chunin grumbled to himself, rubbing a hand over his face before turning back to them. "Nevermind, I'll take him myself. Masina, Naruto, you and your sensei have been assigned to help one of our citizens with their groceries. Think of it as an... escort mission. Here's the address." After handing Naruto a slip of paper, he bent down to pick up the third genin, to take him to get proper care, vanishing i a poof of smoke.

Gladius let out a breath of relief, before turning to his remaining students. "Right then, let's get started with that mission eh?"He plucked the paper from the blond, before turning around and walking away. Masina stared after his retreating form, before voicing her thoughts, "Why'd we get stuck with the crazy one?" Naruto frowned, shrugging in reply. "I wish I knew. Honestly, anyone would be better then him."

The girl grunted, crossing her arms across her chest. After a moment, a small look of worry crossed onto her face. "Do you think Arctur will be alright?" Naruto turned to his teammate, flashing him his trademark smile. "Don't worry, he'll be better before you know it." She let out a sigh of relief, while mumbling under her breath, "He better."

At that moment, they saw the familiar face of their jonin-sensei poke out from behind a corner. "What're you doing standing around for? We have civilians to save! From the terrifying force of heavy grocery bags! Team six, away~!" He pumped out a hand for emphasis, before turning around and dashing down the hallway. The two genin shared a quick look, silently agreeing on one thing at least. _'He's definitely insane.'_

With that, the two fell quickly into place behind their teacher. Once they were outside, he took to his normal calm demeanor, before glancing down at the slip in his hand. "Okay then, I think we need to head... thata way direction." As he said that, he wavered slightly, before pointing down both sides of the street.

Masina rolled her eyes, before ripping the slip from their jonin's hands, eliciting a small comical whine. She carefully read over the address, before putting it away in her pocket. "Looks like they live on the other side of town, we should probably catch a tran if we wanna get there on time. Come on." With an air of authority, she led the way for the two, Gladius giving his student a dejected look, before following behind her. Wasn't his fault there were too many streets to remember. Who needed that many roads anyhow?

She led them down the sidewalk, before taking a crosswalk over to an opening on the ground that led down, people shuffling up and down the steps. With a city as large as this, roads and even the air-rails weren't enough to keep everyone going where they need to. As a result, there was a network of tunnels just below the city that led to major points all around the floating monstrosity that was their home.

At the bottom of the steps were a series of gates to control the influx of people, shinobi and civilian alike, that entered the tram system. Masina fished around in her pockets again, before pulling out a thin card and running it through a scanner. A slight ding was heard, and her profile showed up on a small screen which identified her as a shinobi, granting her a free pass inside. The gate, what looked to be a miniature barrier jutsu, fazed out and allowed her to pass.

The two shinobi behind her did the same, before they all gathered on one of the platforms where people were waiting for the next tram to arrive. "From here, we take the system to the Levis District, that's the closest we'll get to where we're heading. I know a few shortcuts, we can take an underpass near Equus Street , shave a whole ten minutes off the trip." Gladius simply nodded to her, having once more returned to a stoic expression.

Naruto looked like he was going to say something, before the tram pulled in. The doors slid open, letting loose a torrent of people, while others pushed past them to get to the good seats. Their self proclaimed guide led them in, before sitting in a small booth while the other two joined her. Once everyone was loaded on, the train shot off in a flash, causing people to stumble a bit when it surged forward, taking them to their destination.

**The Royal House, 19:41**

The mission thankfully, went off without much of a hitch. Though the three were forced to carry around enough food to last that woman a lifetime and had to chase her through busy traffic, where she amazingly got past without a scratch. Either she was some kinda god, or the old hag was really just that lucky.

The whole thing took only a few hours, and they returned back for their pay later that day. After which, they went to visit their friend in the hospital. Luckily it really was just a case of minor chakra exhaustion, but minor or not he suffered a rather bad fall. The nurses at the hospital told them he'd be out of commission for a few days, before they'd release him.

After they left the hospital, they went their separate ways and Naruto had only recently arrived home. When the doors opened and let him pass, he was met by the stern look of his uncle. He was dressed in robes of gold, red flames shooting up from the bottom before transforming into an intricate pattern of circuitry like marks. The man towered over the boy, his hands kept inside the long sleeves of his cloak in front of him.

"I hope training went well, Naruto?" The blond looked up to the older blond, whose hair held streaks of white and gray in his old age. "Gladius-sensei was teaching us how to climb buildings, before Arctur suffered chakra exhaustion and fell. Egidia-sensei took him to the hospital for us while we went on our D-rank without Arctur."

The older shinobi king narrowed his eyes at the boy, not liking his tone. He held up a hand, signaling for the Naruto to stop talking. "I didn't need a full report, _Naruto, _I only wanted to make sure he started the advanced training. I want you to go to the training grounds, and practice with Davidus. I expect you to give him your full attention while he teaches you our clan's taijutsu. Understood, Naruto?"

There was a pause from the boy, and he stared down at a spot on the floor. If looks could kill, the floor would've been molten by now. His fists were clenched, to the point where his knuckles had become white. Ishachus gritted his teeth, and refrained from punishing the boy's blatant disrespect towards him.

"Naruto!" The blonde's head snapped up, barely contained anger evident on his face. "Do not make me repeat myself Naruto. If you wish to become a true Namikaze, then you must train like a Namikaze. You've shown great talent in our fighting style, likely taking after your _father._" The man's voice was laced with steal when he spat out the word, making the boy flinched slightly.

"If you don't wish to fail, then you must practice. Now go, I expect to see you for dinner tonight as well. You can't hide in your room forever Naruto. Sooner or later you'll learn your responsibilities." With that, the man stepped aside, letting Naruto pass him by. The king turned, before marching down the hall to his study. He had plans for the boy, and he wouldn't let his attitude get in the way of his goals.

The boy had yet to even unlock their family's Kekkei Genkai, the power passed down through the royal family for generations. Perhaps the tainted blood of the Uzumaki was interfering, or it could even be the Kyuubi sealed within him. He shook his head, the Namikaze bloodline was too strong for that, too pure to be batted aside by a simple demon. Too strong to be overwritten by a forgotten clan.

The Haitekuton, the Tech Release.

It was that very bloodline that helped give rise to their floating fortress of a city, it was that which helps to ensure the royal family's power. And it will be that which will show the Elemental nations just who was really in power.

* * *

**A/N: An that's it for now. So, yeah, this Naruto will have his own bloodline during the story, which will play a major plot in the story later on. For now, he has yet to activate it. Also, sorry for this chapter being so short, I'll try to make it longer next time, as well as update faster. See ya'll later. **


	6. Advanced Training!

**A/N:**** Ah hell there again. I've been struck with the inspirational bug so I write this in just a few hours. I know it might be a lil short, but it felt decent and it wasn't that forced or anything. Had trouble with the tittle, so sorry about that. Anyhow, if you spot any mistakes don't hesitate to help me out and tell me, my beta seems to be absent currently and I'm doing this as best I can on my own. IE, I just go through with spell check and go "Welp that works." So yeah, tell me if you spot a mistake. I'd also very much appreciate comments. For now, enjoy.**

* * *

Soragakure

Chapter Six: Advanced training!

* * *

**Several months later in Downtown Sora, 12:23**

Tension was high in the air, and the people in the street became vaguely aware of a standoff taking place before them. A blond stood on one side of the street with his legs spread apart, and his hands closing in on several pouches on his waist. His rival stood unflinchingly, not making a single move or even showing they knew he was there.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly whilst frowning. His hand got ever closer to his waist, waiting for even the slightest movement. By now people have started to notice, and several gave the boy odd looks before continuing onto their busy days. The boy paid no attention though, there were far more important matters at hand.

A smell drifted into his nose, and he tried his best to ignore it. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but savor the fresh smell of spices and salt, all mixing together in a perfect blend accompanied by noodles and meats and vegetables. His mouth began to drool slightly, but he quickly snapped himself out of his trance and redirected another glare at what stood in front of him.

His fingers have by now finally reached the pouch at his side, and gently looped inside the strings that held it by his side. A slight jingiling noise came from inside, and he tossed it up before grabbing it in mid air, pointing his fist out in front of him. He would not be defeated again, he'd finally win this bizarre battle of wits.

He'd resist eating ten whole courses of ramen from Oodles of Noodles.

Behind him was a slight sigh, followed by a mutter under breath. A dark feminine hand clasped Naruto's shoulder. That was his only warning before she bonked him lightly on the head with a metallic fist. "Idiot. Come on, you're making people stare." At Masina's side stood their white haired friend and teammate Arctur. "Masina-chan's right Naruto-" He was interrupted by a flick to his forehead by the same girl.

"I told you to stop calling me that! Come on you too, we can't keep Jonin-Sensei waiting." She proceeded to grab both by their collars, and dragged them the rest of the way inside. Her blonde friend was uttering protests but she ignored them._'I swear, it's every time with him.' _ By now she'd gotten used to the antics of her team, but that didn't mean she enjoyed being stared at when he'd pull this stunt. Every single time.

And of course, every time his show would be useless and the ramen restaurant would win once again. Today would be no different, it never was before and it wouldn't start now. Inside, their host had already prepared their usual table. Their sensei was actually waiting for them once, though it seems he ordered without them. Again

This was another thing she'd been getting used to, the seemingly lack of any memory power what-so-ever inside their sensei's head. Every so often he'd call out to her when he was actually talking to Naruto, and it really got on her nerves. Half the time it's hard to tell if he's faking or just trying to piss them all off with some odd gimmick.

There was a metal clinking noise coming from the booth, and when she got in range she could see Gladius lightly tapping his fingers on the steel table top, the gauntlet he wore making the noise as it struck. She took him by surprise when she tossed her two teammates inside the booth, Naruto with their sensei and Arctur in the other seat, before sitting down next to the latter.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, a little confused. The girl slammed her forehead against the table, making the plates shift, before turning her head slightly to shoot a glare in his general direction. "We come here every day Sensei. You know this." Her teeth were clenched, and her words were laced with venom.

The man blinked slightly, before recognition streaked across his features. "Ah yes! That's right!" His hands came together before him, and he gave them all a kind smile. "Thanks for reminding me, Arctur-chan." Said boy gave an intelligent 'Eh?', while Masina simply rolled her eyes and let him continue. The man smiled even wider inwardly, it was always fun to get on his student's nerves.

"Anyhow, onto business. I'd like to congratulate you all on your recent achievements these past few months, all of you are turning into fine genin. As such, I believe it's time we finally start our more specialized training regime." All of his students gave him odd looks, and the brash knuckle headed genin spoke up, "What do you mean sensei? I thought we were already training and stuff."

Gladius simply waved the boy sitting next to him off slightly, continuing with an explanation, "True true, but we have yet to start our true training. You see, all of the genin teams have been broken up according to their areas of expertise. For instance, we've had a few tracking, infiltration, and even a full medical team show up this year. But you are the only team that could qualify as an assault team, a very valuable asset in a ninja village like ours.

"Our lord has hand written programs to be issued to this semester's graduating class, each of which we had to spend some time preparing for. That's why I had you all taking all those Chakra control exercises and practicing your basic taijutsu and ninjutsu moves. That was to help get your control up and increase your reserves, as well as to get you used to a more intense schedule. From this point on, things are going to get much harder."

He paused for a moment, letting all that he's said slowly settle, and allowing for any questions. Seeing as there weren't any, he finished up his small speech. "That said, today I'm going to be doing a lil' one-on-one training to get a start on your individual skills and to get a better grasp of what you can do. We'll be doing this for a few hours, before I'll bring you all together to do some group training and then to take you on your missions. Now, let's get moving."

He didn't waist any time, and scooted past Naruto before walking out the door. For a few moments, the team just sat dumbfounded at what they just heard. For one, they've never heard him speak so clearly and without any gaps between things he's forgotten. Another being the fact that training was going to get harder. From what he already had them do, they shuddered to think of what could be worse.

"Come on, let's get going." Naruto said, while getting up from his seat to follow their sensei. The other two blinked for a moment, before realizing none of them got a chance to eat. _'He... he forgot to feed us...'_ they both though, small sweat drops forming.

Before they could even get up, there was a small clink and they turned to see a waitress place the check. There was a small pause, before a tick mark appears on the girl's face. _'AND he forgot to pay. __That Jerk!'_ And just like that, their sensei they knew and loved was back to normal. Well, they knew him at least.

"Don't worry Masina-chan, I'll pay it." He smiled cheerfully, hand moving for the check before it was slapped away. "I told you to stop calling me that. And it's fine I'll get it." The boy looked like he was about to protest, but soon deflated. It was no use arguing with her. After paying they left to find their last teammate along with their sensei.

* * *

**TR6, 13:21**

Once everyone showed up, Gladius turned to his team whilst leaning against a fake tree in the room. "Right, here's how this is gonna work. I'm going to create two clones and have each of them take you to a separate area of this forest. Naruto, You'll be staying with the real me. Let's begin."

He brought his hands together to form a seal, and two twin pillars of water rose from the pond behind him and started to form exact copies of their caster. Once they left with Naruto's teammates, the real one turned to his remaining student before fishing around inside a small bag and pulling out a book.

"First thing's first. Your uncle, our lord, wanted you to begin your training in fuinjutsu as per family tradition. I expect he'll have you doing exercises from this book at home. but I felt it best to give you a head start. We'll be looking into that book later, but I'd like you to skim a few pages first and get a general idea."

The boy nodded, before opening the book to somewhere in the middle. His eyes bugged out in a comical manner as he stared at one of the more advanced seals, which completely boggled his mind and looked more like a piece of artwork rather than a seal. His sensei smiled, and gestured for him to put it away. "As you can see, it's gonna take awhile before you're ready for those higher level seals."

He leaned back against the tree, and took a breath to steady his mind. "Seals are a very unique area of techniques in comparison to.. well, anything really. Like genjutsu, it's mostly limited by your own imagination. It can do many many things if you design it just the right way. You all know that this room we're in does this through special seals that cover the entire room under little panes of glass, right?"

The blonde nodded in confirmation. "The seals here combine three very different concepts, and uses them to create a sorta... virtual reality, or perhaps a pocket dimension if you want to call it such. It works by applying the principles of time-space seals, making the area to appear much larger than it really is, as well as laying down a genjutsu to make you see and believe the trees, sky, and wind you feel. And finally, through a technique... borrowed, from Konoha, it creates a shadow clone skeleton that sits underneath the genjutsu layer."

By now Naruto's mouth was hanging wide open in sheer disbelief at what he heard, that all of this was created by a few seals. He had no idea that they would be so powerful, to create something as complicated as this. His sensei smiled again, and rapped his knuckles against the bark of his tree.

"You hear that? That noise is based off of the actual sound, and morphed to make it sound like I'm knocking on a tree. It's all rather complicated and even I have trouble understanding half of the gibberish the seal masters spat out when describing this place."

He took a breath, not used to talking so long in length. "Anyway, we'll be saving seals til towards the end of our lesson. First, let's start with something a little easier... Elemental training." The by raised an eyebrow at him, before saying, "Elemental training? What's that Jonin-sensei?"

The man rubbed the back of his neck, "You know how everyone has chakra right?" The boy nodded. "Good. You see, all chakra was a particular nature, or element associated with it. Mine for instance, is water. Most jonin like me have two elements, though I only have the one. Genin almost always have just one, but if you're anything like your family then... well, you'll see."

Pushing himself off the tree, he took a few steps forward to the boy. "Now, to find out what element type you have you'll have to use this gauntlet I have on." He held it up for him to see. It was mostly metal and clunky, and had several visible panels on the top over the wrist portion, and there were small nodes that covered it. It was black in color, with the metal being more rough instead of the familiar shine he was used to seeing.

"This device helps to channel your chakra, and can be used for several low-level attacks that can be created without the use of a hand seal. But of course, you'll have to train more to be able to at least use your chakra affinity before you can do anything fancy. For now, this panel here will light up depending on what your nature is." He pointed to the largest one just over his wrist.

"If you're fire, it will turn red. Earth, brown. Water, blue. Lightning, yellow. And Wind, it will turn white. If you have any secondary elements, they'll show up below on these smaller panels. Now, watch me." He stood still, and stared intently before the panel glows a light blue. "Once you get better with your nature, you'll be able to do things like this."

He shut his eyes, throwing more concentration into the glove, of which the nodes started to glow blue along with the first panel. droplets of water started to accumulate from the air around him, slowly enveloping the entire glove to the point where it was the size of a small melon. Then, he pointed it at a tree and flexed his fingers. When that happened, the ball of water shot off the glove and smacked right into the tree, cutting it into chunks.

Naruto was amazed, and watched in pure awe at what he just witnessed, "That was... So cool! Teach me how to do that sensei!" The man chuckled to himself, and rubbed the back of his head. "You probably won't be able to do something like that for a while, and depending on what your element is you might not be able to do it at all. It all depends you see. Here, you give it a try. Just make the panel glow by concentrating a little chakra into the glove."

He took it off his hand, and let Naruto take it from him. Quickly, he slipped it onto his left hand too, before he adopted a look of pure concentration. After several moments, the panels slowly lit up. Gladius kept his face calm, though inwardly he rose his eyebrow at what he saw. _'So it's true then. He's just like his family. But it's not strong yet, he'll need to activate it first.' _

The man told him to stop, and Naruto looked at him expectantly. "Did you see it? What color was it? Ohh, am I a fire user? That'd be so cool!" The man smiled, and ruffled the boy's hair. "No I'm afraid you're not a fire user. Although, you do have something rather rare already Naruto." The boy cocked his head slightly, giving a slight 'Eh?' at the man.

"The main panel glowed a white, which means that you are a wind user. Wind is a very rare element Naruto, even in the land of wind." There was a short pause, before Naruto grinned widely, and pumped his fist up in the air. "Awesome! I'm a wind user! ...Sensei, what does wind chakra do?" He looked a little sheepish, and Gladius couldn't help but laugh at the boy.

"Wind is... well it... Hmm... You know, I'm not sure." The blonde deadpanned to himself, 'Of course he dosn't know.' Gladius held up his finger though, resting his hand on his hip in a look of triumph. "But never fear my little student, because tomorrow's next stop is... The Library! They probably have at least something on Wind Chakra." He scratched his chin lightly in thought, while his student simply sighed away to himself. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**With Arctur**

"So I'm an Earth-type then?" The clone nodded his head, and took the glove back from his snow haired student. "It would appear that way. I know a handful of earth jutstu, so I might be able to help you later once you're further along with your elemental training. Now, let's get onto other business. I've noticed you have a knack for chakra control, which I should've expected from the son of a pair of our greatest medical-nin."

A look of hurt crossed the boy's face, but he hid it well. The clone waited a moment, before he continued on. "As such, you could be a very capable medical-nin yourself, and it's likely have some talent at Genjustu as well. I've noticed in our team spars you're lacking in taijutsu, so it makes sense for you to be a support roll shinobi, but that doesn't mean I'll be skimping in that area. IF we focus to much there, you'll never be able to defend yourself if someone neutralizes your abilities, and forces you into a head-on confrontation.

"With that in mind, I have an Idea that some of our.. informants, picked up from encounters with other enemy med-nin in the field. Just because you're a healer dosn't mean you can't use the same skills you learned to fix people, to hurt them as well. The most notable would be the Chakra scalpel. That technique I believe, works by creating thin blades of chakra that our used to cut patients during surgery. It's already plainly obvious the same technique can be used offensive, and can be made even more deadly with the precision earned by being a medical-nin."

He paused, and gave his student time to absorb the information. "I'm assuming you have several books left behind from you're parents on anatomy and various medical techniques, correct?" There was a familiar pained look, before he shoved aside his emotions and nodded lightly. "Good good, that makes things easier. When you get home tonight, I want you to start studying from those books and learn as much as you can from them."

He smiled at him, and held his hands behind his back. "Meanwhile, I'll be able to teach you one of my specialties, Genjutsu. This particular art is a very flexible, but requires precise and accurate control. Now, if you already have lower chakra reserves it becomes easier to control, but for most shinobi clans that card's out. I have a small advantage in that area, but most the time it's more of a hindrance then a benefit."

There was a questioning look on the genin, to which the clone waved him off. "I'll talk about that later perhaps, but not now. For now, I'll start by teaching you a few tricks when it comes to being a genjutsu practitioner. You see this sword I have right? It's not just for show." He unsheathes it, revealing a large blade very unlike the katana common in these parts, with a name written in their Latin language is formed by lines on the sword's length, reading as _infirmus_. Not exactly intimidating for a name, but they do say deception is number one when it comes to being a shinobi.

"I'm not quite a master, but I use kenjustsu for when my victims are immobilized by my genjutsu to finish them off before they can dispell it. Usually it'll only buy you a few seconds, but for shinobi a few seconds can make the difference." Arctur nodded, going along with this so far. "Now, I think we should start with some basic low-level genjutsu techniques, just to get you started. The boss has a few books that he'll give you when we meet up again, and you'll be expected to read those along with your medical textbooks at home. Got it?"

The boy grumbled a little about having to read so much, but agreed either way. "Excellent. Now, let's get started."

* * *

**With Masina**

"Hmm... I should've expected that particular element, considering your family Masina-chan." She nodded slightly, before handing the glove back to her sensei. "I feel it's best we stay clear of most elemental training for now, and focus mainly on improving your taijutsu style, strength, and your speed. That arm of yours is already pretty strong, but you shouldn't rely on it as much as you already do."

"Don't worry Jonin-sensei, My father already helped me with most of my elemental training, and I know a few of my clan techniques but.. well, you know." He look dropped slightly, and the clone could only nod at her. "Good good, that saves me some of the trouble already then. Now, I know your sisters would all masters of your clan's kenjutsu style, and I'm already fairly adept with a sword myself. Do you have any interest in learning something like that?"

She took a moment, before shaking her head know while wearing a small smile. She held her metal arm up, and slapped her other hand over the upper portion of it, as if showing her guns. "Naw, I'm more of a fist-to-the-face kinda girl myself." She spoke with a wide grin, earning a light chuckle from the clone, who held his hands up in false surrender.

"Right right, well then, I know a few styles, so we'll start on that in a little bit. First, I want to see just how strong that arm actually is. Computer, summon boulder." The room ushered a response, and before their very eyes a large rock digitized several feet away. He walked over to it, and rubbed a hand along the surface of the large stone, feeling the rough and smooth edges that made up it's surface.

"I want you to take your arm, and with as much strength as you can muster, shatter it to bits. It shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you, of course. But I understand if you'd rather start with something smaller..." He was cut off by the girl, who now held a face full of determination. "That little thing? Hah! Don't be stupid Jonin-sensei, it won't stand a chance."

The clone took a few steps back, seeing her take several back stops, hopping into her most familiar fighting style. Her feet were spread far apart, the left foot behind her, with the right in front. She cocked herself onto the left leg, putting her full force on the one leg. Her left arm was held at the ready with her right in front of her. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes to calm herself.

Then, in a split second, her eyes shot open wide and she dashed forward leaving sharp indents on the ground where her feet made contact. She pulled her left arm back, it making a soft whirring noise as the motors inside got ready. When she got close, she took a leap up whilst aiming her fist downward, putting ever bit of weight behind this one punch. It shot forward, her arm going through the stone like butter up to her elbow.

The air was silent, and for a moment the clone stood stunned. He was about to speak up when he heard and saw cracks start to form around the impact point. He barely had time to duck before it exploded into little chunks that encompassed the entire area. Once the dust settled, he saw the girl standing where the boulder once sat, breathing heavily.

Gladius's clone let a smile form on his features before turning to her. "Very impressive Masina-chan. Though it seems like it took a lot out of you. Perhaps if we help increase your stamina further, and get you fast enough where it only takes you a second to prepare you'd be good. But at this point, it takes far to long and I know for a fact an enemy won't just stand still for an attack of that magnitude. Let's take a short break, and then we'll start some exercises alright?"

She nodded hurriedly between breaths, and almost collapsed when she went to sit down. He noticed her winching whenever she breathed to deeply, and he furrowed his brow when he saw it. It might've been she's just exerted herself to much in that attack, but he suspected another more serious reason for it, and he didn't like what it'd imply if it were true.

* * *

**Hall of Honor, several hours later.**

The rest of the day's training went by without much incident. Gladius made sure his students understood clearly what they'd be doing during their new training phase before he moved on to teach them anything more, and already they were showing signs of progress. Who knows what the future could hold form them if they keep going like this, no doubt their Lord would be pleased with the results.

Speaking of their King, it seemed he was sitting in on the mission assignments today. Gladius took a swift bow once he'd reached the desk, and he saw out of the corner of his eyes his students doing the same. All except for Naruto, of course. The blonde boy simply 'hmph'ed and stood defiantly. _'Ah, seems Naruto doesn't get along with his uncle much...' _ The jonin knew better then to let such thoughts continue, and stopped them before they were allowed to fester further.

"Rise my shinobi." Came the clearly aged and heavy voice of their king. The three ninja that bowed did so, and their sensei took a step forward before standing up straight. "My lord, we have come for today's daily mission." The older shinobi glanced over the genin behind his jonin, eyes staying slightly longer on the visage of his nephew.

"I see. Before I assign your team a mission, I'd like to hear just how the team of my nephew is coming along in their training." The jonin hesitated slightly, before going on. "Of course my Lord. Today, I've had my team start the first face of their individual training, as well as team collaboration to start combining their talents and abilities. They are each showing significant progress since their graduation, and I can honestly state my pride."

Ishachus looked over the team again, and hid a small smirk behind his hands. "Starting already, Gladius-jonin? I'm rather impressed, your team will be the first to start. Most aren't scheduled for at least another month, but your quite ahead. I shouldn't have expected any less from your team Gladius-jonin, or even the team of my own nephew. I have high expectations for this little group."

He removed his hands, having adopted a look of a true kage-level ninja, showing no trace of emotion. The team's sensei bowed slightly, "Thank you very much, my Lord. It is a great honor to hear such from you." A light 'hm' came as the acknowledgment, before he motioned for the shinobi to rise once again. "Seeing as you're all advancing so quickly, I see no problem with assigning you all..."

He paused for a moment, before, fishing around in a drawer, placing a small scroll on the table. "Your first C-Rank mission."

* * *

**Chapter end**

* * *

**A/N: Duhn duhn duhhhh cliffhanger! Yeah I know, not much of one, but hey gotta start somewhere. Anyhow, As you can see their first C-rank will start next chapter. And her, we'll get to see some familiar faces soon too! I expect much langauge confusion on Naruto's part, so that could prove amuusing. Anyhow, I hope you've enjoyed. Please leave a comment if you feel so inclined. With that, I'm off.  
**


	7. A New Mission

**A/N: Ellooo! Sorry this is a lil later then I wanted it. I had originally started this a few days ago, but lost motivation before I even got going. Instead, I waited til I was finally struck with inspiration, last night! Most of this was written then, and I hope I did alright. I might've missed some grammar mistakes, but hopefully I kept everything nice and tidy-ish. If you spot anything wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. Please enjoy, and drop me a comment if you so wish.**

* * *

Soragkaure

Chapter 7: A New Mission

* * *

It was silent for a time, and the entire team was showing various forms of shock and surprise. Gladius had been able to rein in most of his emotions, but his eyes were still widened slightly and his mouth was parted in a small way. As quick as it had shown up though, it was gone from his face in an instant while he quickly gathered his thoughts and formed them into words.

"A C-rank mission My Lord?" The elder king nodded, and flicked a stray hair from his face as he went on. "A C-to-B ranked mission actually." He smiled to himself, hidden behind his emotionless visage when he saw the genin go from shock to outright disbelieve. His nephew even looked as if he was about to feint.

The jonin shook his head lightly, intent on setting some kinda ground on this new situation. "My Lord I mean no disrespect but isn't it far to early for a mission of that level? They haven't even been through a day of their advanced training as a team." This time, the king let a smirk rest on his lips as he brought his hands in front of him.

"Do you question my judgment, Gladius-jonin?" The other man stammered out a quick reply, setting himself straight as he did, "N-no, of course not My Lord, It's just that-" He was interrupted as his master held up a hand, "Just that what? Do you not think one of my own blood would be capable of such a task? Surely he takes after _father, _and I'd assume his teammates were plenty capable themselves."

The jonin stood in silent for a moment, before hanging his head in defeat. "What are the mission's objectives?" Ishachus gestured to the scroll, and Gladius silently snatched it up, before cracking the wax seal to read it. "As you know, we've been good friends with Suna since our city's very birth, and as such we antisocially send an entourage to help maintain our peace. This mission is rather unique, as you'll be needing to protect one of your own genin, Naruto."

The boy snapped up when he heard his name, he and the others were still dumbfounded at having been given a C, possible B, ranked mission that hey missed the majority of the conversation. The blonde boy let out a rather intelligible 'wha?', before his uncle went on.

"Naruto will act as an, ambassador, of sorts. Being a prince of Sora he's been taught in the rays of government, and how one should act on delegations such as these. I would've planned for him to have started later rather then sooner, but I was unaware of how long it had been since the party from Suna arrived for our last delegation. Normally I would've sent my own child, but since Naruto is technically an heir to the throne, I would like to see how he handles such a situation."

He turned towards his blonde nephew. "Naruto, being the main focus of the mission, I would prefer you stay out of any combat. However, you are not just a prince but a Ninja as well. As such, I expect you to be strong and face any danger head on. Just don't go getting yourself killed." He gave a small smirk, to which Naruto frowned at.

"You'll be meeting with their eldest member of the kazekages children, and I expect you to play nice with her. I've already prepared a message to her father which you'll be delivering in person. Being as young as you are, I don't expect much to come of your meeting with his daughter, but be advised you'll need to speak in Elemental there. " Naruto's frown deepened at that, and his look held a hint of worry.

He knew the boy had trouble speaking the Elemental language, if the report from the academy said anything. He's since increased the boy's language studies since graduation, but he could still only speak basic sentences, and not very well at that. A translator would probably be needed. "If you need one Naruto, I can provide someone to translate for you, unless one of your teammates happens to be fluent?" The king looked toward the other two, who had been waiting in silence this whole time.

They exchanged a quick glance, before Arctur raised his hand. "-Hai, I know how to speak in Elemental My Lord-sama.-" Ishachus 'hmd' at the boy's speech, it was heavily accented but understandable. It'd have to do for now. "Good, you'll act as Naruto's mediator during the trip, and translate for him. Understood?" There was a nod.

Their king smiled at them, and crossed his hands again. "Excellent. Hopefully this will prove to be a fruitful mission, and do try not to get killed. Your transport to the mainland is scheduled for tomorrow, pier thirty two at twelve sharp. Gladius, I have a backup team already in place should you require one, just send a signal using this." With a withered hand showing signs of advanced age, he slid across the desk a small watch, to which Gladius picked up and put on his hand, just above his gauntlet.

"Just click the small button next to the six, and the team will be alerted. Pack for a long trip, at least two weeks. Dismissed." He didn't spare them any other glance, as he turned back to his paperwork. Their jonin-sensei picked up a small scroll encased in a black tube left on the table for them, and pocketed it for now.

With that, he turned towards his team who were currently unsure of how they felt about the mission. Smiling to himself, he placed a hand on his royal charge's shoulder. "Come on everyone, how about I treat you all to some ramen? I think you all deserve a treat." Naruto was the first to perk up at the mention of ramen, both his eternal rival and secret lover. Kami that sounds wrong, but to the blonde ramen was both a curse and a gift.

The other two came out of their own stupors as well, and put on smiles of their own. He could tell they were forced somewhat, but he accepted it for now all the same. Even he wasn't sure about the mission, but he knew that his king ordered it, and that was enough for now. At least they'd have back-up If needed, and he had a feeling they just might.

* * *

**Soragakure Port, 11:12 AM**

Sora was a large city, and being surrounded by water on all sides and below, it was obviously a port town. At it's bumbling port, it hosted one of the larger merchant and war fleets of the Elemental Lands, and with their advanced naval technology it's second only to the Land of Water. While they hosted an array of flying vessels, the majority did best over water entirely.

Currently there were a few trade vessels docked on their main port. Foreign ships had to go through the mainland if they wanted to trade Sora their goods, thus making sure no other nation came within striking distance of the city. Though immigrants and tourists still fled into the city every week, all had to board at their lone mainland port, Casanova. The remnants of where Sora first stood, and one of the few towns on the mainland to use more advanced technology.

Even this early in the day, the docks were still a flood of activity with people both loading and unloading, as well as people boarding and unboarding from the ships docked along the large metal piers, where ships were hung in place by a combination of gravitational seals and more Common chakra propulsion engines and electromagnets.

Naruto was having trouble locating his team amongst the sea of people, and even more trouble finding his ship. The smell of sweat and fuel emanated around the area, making it hard for him to think. He had to ask for directions several times, but with so many twists and turns with people pushing and nearly knocking him over as they went about, he'd quickly loose his bearings again.

"Peer thirty two... pier thirty two..." He repeated to himself over and over again. He looked up for any signs to help point his way, but all he could find were a few holographic advertisements of local attractions and food. Grumbling, he hefted his heavy pack back onto his shoulders. While he was provided with a few storage seal scrolls, they still took up a lot of space and the paper weighed down on him in the end.

If he'd been thinking, he'd have just sealed the scrolls into another one, but this is Naruto we're talking about. He ran out of scrolls sealing up a good supply of ramen for his trip, to which his uncle wouldn't have improved of. Ever since that faithful day when his sensei introduced him to the food of gods, he's found himself addicted and could never get just enough. He found that it quickly cut into his monthly allowance, leaving his wallet and banking account empty almost as soon as they were filled.

When his addiction and the cost of it were discovered by his uncle, he'd threatened Naruto to have the food banned city-wide. Needless to say, Naruto was horrified and was forced to control himself around the noodley goodness. He limited himself to at most, ten packs a day.

Already he could feel his mouth watering, and he had to wipe it on the sleeve of his new coat. It was dark orange, a color he'd liked for many years though he would've preferred it much brighter. The thing was slightly puffy, a winter coat. He wouldn't need it much while on the sands of Suna during the day, but he'd heard how cold it got at night. Plus, it was almost year-round cold in this city, with it being so high up in the air.

There were thick black lines going from a wide black collar, which would form one solid line when zipped up. On the inside were several pockets for carrying a variety of ninja tools. There was a mark on his back, a swirl within a gear, colored a bright red. He'd asked the man who sold it to him why the swirl was combined with their city's symbol, and he'd been told it belonged to a long-dead village that used to be revered trading partners and good friends with the city's royalty.

Though the boy never noticed, when he first wore it around his family's palace his uncle's face curled into a light snarl at the sight, knowing of Naruto's true heritage through his spy network before they brought him here.

The blonde boy was currently on the verge of giving up, and let out a small defeated sigh before a voice caught his ears. Perking up, he craned his head towards the source of the voice. It was there he saw Masina sitting on the shoulders of a very uncomfortable Arctur, waving her hand frantically to get his attention. It was a welcomed surprise to see that their sensei actually remembered to show up for once.

With a smile on his face, he quickly waded his way towards his team. "It's about time you got here, I was about to go out and drag you here myself." She stated with a light smirk, jumping off the shorter boy's shoulders. Said boy stumbled forward lightly, landing face first. "Ow..." He lifted his head slightly, and Naruto had to stifle a laugh at his predicament. His face was veering on bright red, a stark contrast to his usualy pale demeanor. Though, it was hard to tell if it was from the fall or from having Masina sit on his shoulders.

Either way, Naruto kept a wide grin on his features. Gladius spoke up in an attempt to call back their attention. "Ah Naruto, it's nice of you to finally join us. I was starting to think that, you'd forgotten." He smiled an innocent smile, eyes curving into a flipped rainbow as well. His students could only sweat-drop lightly at the man, knowing full well he just tried to make a joke.

Waving at them, he turned and started off down a small metal pier. They followed quickly behind, and it didn't take long to notice how empty it was compared with the rest of the docks. There was only one ship hooked up, and it seemed only just big enough for them to occupy. It was silver, and held a clunky almost retro feel to it. A single, large thruster took up the back of it, with a variety of different sized tubes leading from it toward the front.

A window curved around the ship's front, tinted black so they coudln't see inside. A door slid open on it's side when they approached, a single port hole donned it. A tall man with thick arms and a bald head greeted them. His skin was a deep tan, obviously having spent many years outside. It was likely he used to serve on a more traditional ship, because most Sora vessels were completely enclosed.

"Ah Gladius-san, it's a pleasure to meet an esteemed jonin like yourself." His accent was very heavy, and along with earlier information about his appearance it was confirmed in the young genin's minds that at he was an Elemental native. Where from exactly, remained to be unseen. His attire was simple for a simple man, a navy blue jacket over a dirtied white wife-beater, a pair of faded black jeans that were fraying at the bottom, along with brown holed boots.

Their jonin nodded at him, giving the man a soft smile. "It's nice to see my name proceeds me, though I couldn't imagine why." A light chuckle, which was shared by the elder civilian. "If you know my name, it's only fair I know yours, mister...?" The man gave a wide grin, pointing to himself with a thumb. "You can call me Yoh Asakura." Gladius gave a polite nod at Yoh.

"A pleasure to meet you, Yoh-san. These are my students, Arctur, Masina, and Naruto." The man gave a polite bow toward the blonde, obviously knowing of his status. "It's a pleasure to aid a member of the royal family in a mission, Naruto-sama." The boy could only utter a quick and hesitant thanks, not used to or really liking such treatment.

"Right right, why don't you three take a seat in the back? It'll take about thirty minutes for us to safely arrive at Casanova port. I'll be up in the front if you need me." With that, the shinobi climbed aboard and got themselves seated while their ship operator closed the door behind them, and quickly made his way to the cockpit with their jonin. He sat in the middle of a little of buttons and mechanics, things too complicated for them- aside from their resident 'evil genius' as he sometimes called himself- to understand. Their sensei sat in a co-pilot's seat.

For them, they had two benches with red leather cushions that sat parallel with two portholes above either side. Once buckled in, their captain called out to make sure everyone was ready, before starting the undocking procedure.

The small ship grumbled to life and shook slightly, as it pushed itself away from the locks that held it in place far above the sea. Once it was free, they were jerked to the side as their vessel sprung forward, keeping in a light corkscrew as it descended away from the city. Naruto and the others took this moment to peer out their small windows, watching their home slowly fade away. A light gasp was heard, when they saw what held their city up.

A series of large thrusters, easily miles wide each, were positioned all over the bottom with long tubes that disappeared into the lower levels of the city, just above them. Some buildings that actually poked out the bottom were visible, but none of them drew the attention of the young genin. Inside each thruster, a bright and very deep blue light spilled forth, keeping the floating mass of metal afloat using sheer thrust. There was no telling just what was the sorce of all that power, but it had to be the cities internal chakra network, created by Naruto's forefather.

But to be able to provide so much power, who knows just how strong that man was. By now, there has to have been something else aiding in it's power, because it'd surely run out by now. Unless, it was still producing chakra, but that would have to require their very home to be alive. The very idea seemed silly, but when you're living in this type of world, who knows what might be possible?

The children were pulled from their thoughts and looks of amazement, as their vision was transformed into the vast empty ocean, with small islands visible every so often. Likely more private homes away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Their captain called out to them from the front, "Alright, we're leaving the city boundaries now. I'll be slowing her down a bit so we're just cruising durring our lil voyage, got it?" He received a few small nods and replies of acknowledgment, before he turned back to the front with a slight grin on his face.

"Their first time leaving the city, Gladius-san?" The jonin smiled back, and gave a slight nod. "Yes, I doubt many of them have even seen the ocean outside their windows, the young miss so much around them." The elder gave a stout nod, flicking a few switches before placing his hand on a small glass plane, channeling a small amount of chakra into the machine. It hummed, and slowed down noticeably.

"Never thought I'd get to use that stuff." he mumbled, giving a small chuckle. "Chakra?" The shinobi questioned, to which the civilian confirmed. "Yeah, my ka-san would always tell me stories about shinobi like yourself, and about all these amazing feats of magic they can do. Never once thought I'd be able to do anything, even as simple as powering a fine pond skipper like this haha!" Gladius couldn't help but smile, and looked around him and observed his surroundings.

"Life is always one for giving us surprises, Yuh-san. You never know what surprises await you around the corner." Yuh gave a tired sigh, still holding a light grin on his face though it had faded somewhat. "I think I've had enough excitement in my life, running this old girl between sora and the mainland is enough for me I'd think. I've had my fair share of adventure, met my girl on one of 'em too." This time, a truly bright smile came to his face.

"Can't be going off having adventures with her and the boys waiting for me at home. " Gladius gave a soft smile, before looking out of his window. "Of course, Yuh-san." They settled into a comfortable silence from then on, only interrupted by the ocaisonal stray thought or progress report from Yuh. In the back however, the genin were abuzz with conversation.

"What do you think it'll be like? I heard it was really hot and sandy in Suna." Masina rubbed her metal arm, aware of what kinda danger the sand would pose for her delicate cybernetics. Naruto nodded his hand, looking toward her. "Yeah, Ishachus never simpered on drilling as much about them into my head as possible. They have these big walls, and live out in the middle of the desert, to keep the sandstorms at bay and stuff."

Arctur gave a nod, "Right right, it sounds really different from Sora. Think we'll have to walk there?" Masina responded with a shudder. "Kami, I hope not. It'll be hell on my arm out there, we better get a sand crawler or someone's going down." She pumped her arm for emphases, a hard look etched onto her face.

Arctur gave a nervous smile, knowing full well she wasn't lying. Hopefully, it wouldn't be him at the end of that beating, since she used him to vent most of her frustration in the form of violence. Not that he minded all that much, but he'd never let anyone else know that. Not even his best friend Naruto. "Ah, yeah.. hey Naruto, your uncle said you're gonna have to meet someone when we get there, the kazekage's daughter or something, right?"

He nodded, "Yeah I guess. Having seen some of those, 'Important diplomatic meetings,' It'll probably be really boring." He air quoted as he spoke, before settling into a slump with his chin in his hands, leaning onto his legs. "Ah cheer up Naruto, it can't be that bad right? I mean, it is the kazekage's _daughter_." Masina purred out the last part, in a teasing manor. Naruto was quick to blush at the thought, before comical waving his hands to fan away some unseen image.

Both Arctur and Masina had a laugh at their blonde teammate's expense, who in turn shot a glare at the both of them. "Shut up you guys! She'll probably be really old or something, I heard the kazekage was in his fifties." His female teammate looked like she was about to tease him further, fueled with even more material to use against her blonde friend, but one glare from him shut her up. Though she acted it out, locking her lips with an invisible key before tossing it over her shoulder, keeping a tight smile the whole time.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them, before Naruto started it up again. "Think Gladius-sensei will still train us?" The girl across from him had a small frown. "He better, I was so excited to start a new regime when we left the training room yesterday. This better not get in the way of my plans, I wanna be the best kunoichi in all of Sora one day. Better then even my sisters, or my mother..." She trailed off, getting a sad look on her face.

But before giving her male counterparts a chance to capitalize on that, she went on, burying whatever pain she had just felt. "You better not screw this mission up somehow Naruto, this is our first C-rank, maybe even a B-rank, and I don't want to come back as a failure because of something you did." He frowned at her, crossing his arms while giving a small pout.

"Me mess something up? Maybe I should be worried about _you_ messing something up." She growled a bit, looking like she was about to jump over there and wrangle his neck. "Why you little-" Arctur cut in, stopping things before they got any worse. "Hey wait a moment, I bet we'll do great. We're team Six, we can handle anything." He gave them a re-encouraging smile, and it only took a few seconds before they echoed it.

"You're right, I bet we'll do great out there. Besides, it's just a simple diplomatic mission, what's the worse that could happen?" Masina finished with a light shrug, a smirk evident. Her teammates gave a short laugh, only further sealing their doom. "Yeah, it'll probably just be some really boring thing." They were about to go on, before they heard their captain call out to them.

"Land ho! We'll be making port shortly, so sit tight!" The three genin smiled, ready to take their first step onto the mainland. _'This is go nan be the best mission ever.' _the three genin thought to themselves, already piqued for the long road ahead of them.

* * *

**The next day, 9: 03 AM**

_'This is gonna be the worst mission ever!' _The enthusiasm of the previous d ay quickly wore off as they now stood on the border between a comforting urban environment, and the harsh desert that lay out in front of them going on for miles and miles. Yesterday had been great, they got to go explore around the town for the day before they booked a hotel for the night so they could set off before day-break, when things got really hot.

Their ship's captain would be back in two weeks time, so they had to be quick while they traversed the desert to their destination. The king hadn't given them enough money to book a sandcrawller to get them to suna quickly and safely, so they'd be forced to do it the old fashioned way. Walking. Lots and lots of walking.

Hours upon hours of empty and sandy desert lay before them, whom couldn't make up it's mind on whether it wanted to stay freezingly cold, or meltingly hot. Either option would prove to be extremely uncomfortable, and they hadn't even spent an hour out in the desert before Naruto threw his hands up into the air, ready to give in without having even really gone.

"I can't take this! It's ten in the morning, and it's already ridiculously hot! I don't want to wait around and see what it's like when the sun's all the way up. Can we just, y'know, send them a bird or something? Maybe wait till later when it'll be colder, like say THE NEXT ICE AGE!" The boy grabbed at his head, which he'd tied a band of clothe around in the last ten minutes.

Gladius sighed to himself, pushing on even though he really wanted to agree with the boy. Sora ninja weren't used to this sense of extreme heat, despite technically being part of Wind Country. Living so high above the ocean was the majority of the reason, the most they had to deal with was a warm summer's day, where you could spend the day forgetting about the world while you sipped on a cool glass of tea.

Oh, how he wanted so much to forget about the world now, if anything to get away from the boy's antics. Masina took the initiate, and bonked his head lightly with her fist. "You idiot, it's too late to go back now. And you don't want to upset your uncle now do you, huh?" He glared out her slightly, rubbing where she'd hit him. She smirked, an idea coming to mind. "Or maybe you're just too weak, and you're giving up."

He paused for a moment, before standing up straight with newfound determination. " I am _not_ weak! I'll show you!" With that, he picked up his pale haired friend, who was currently laying face down in the sand, before rushing off ahead of both her and their sensei. She smiled to herself, before hurrying along behind him.

Gladius could only give a light sigh as he rubbed the back of his head, and watched his students run off. Well, two of his students. Arctur seemed to have passed out already. _'This'll certainly prove to be an interesting mission... let's hope we can survive long enough to even talk about it. _The jonin couldn't say why, but he felt a deep sense of dread the moment they set foot inside the desert sands, almost like something was waiting out here for them.

Meanwhile, hiding far off under a mass of sand lay thee people. Two young men, and a young girl. Each were peering through the desert using binoculars. The girl smirked to herself when she spotted their target. _'-Finally... I'll take revenge for what that man's done to our village all those years ago. It won't be long until I finally kill him, the son of the Yellow Flash!-' _One of the boys, the larger of the three, next to her spoke up, disturbing her internal monologue. "-Should we attack now?-"

She hissed out a reply, turning to her companion. "-No, we need to wait till they're further from the town. We don't want any loose patrols stumbling upon us as we take down those Sora scum!-" The others nodded, before turning back to their targets. It wouldn't be long now. Soon, the pride of Iwa would finally return! Just as soon as this sand got out of their clothes, kami did it itch.

* * *

**Chapter End**

* * *

**A/N:**** And there we go! You'll probably recognize these Iwa shinobi, two of them at least. To be honest, I havn't actually caught up in the anime and I'm not completely sure just who's on her team, so I'll likely be replacing a third team member and their jonin with characters of my own, perhaps even from another anime? Who knows. Well, save for me a week from now, but that's a side form the point. I hope you enjoy'd this chapter, because things'll start to heat up in a little bit for our little genin very soon. Tell me if you see any mistakes that I need to fix, or if you just enjoyed the story any. See ya for now!**


	8. The Calm Before

**A/N:**** Ah, heya, sorry it's been awhile, I was having a lot of trouble with this chapter, mainly trying to get myself past the part in the middle since this chapter is mostly about them training a little bit. But don't worry, things we'll hopefully speed up again, I think I've finally gotten passed my writers block, and typed up this chap. It's a lil smaller then I would've liked, but I hope you won't mind much. I actully read through this on my own, changing and fixing any mistakes I found and such, but tell me if you spot something I couldn't please.  
**

**Anyhow, I guess to give a small recap if you need it, the team has just recently entered Wind Country for their first higher Ranked mission, in the form of a diplomatic escort and protecting one of their own team members, Naruto, a prince of Sora. Near the end of the last chapter, we find that a group of Iwa nin seem to be trailing them...**

**And now for the conclusion  
**

* * *

Soragakure

Chapter 8: The Calm Before

* * *

Naruto's team had been traversing the desert for several hours now, the day only getting longer and hotter with each passing step. Suna felt no closer at the end of the day, then it had when they'd set out that morning. At least with nightfall things weren't hot anymore, but kami oh mighty, was did it get cold real quick. It was then that the blonde prince of Sora was grateful for bringing along his coat, even if it'd be nothing but a burden in the morning once the sun came up again.

Their jonin-sensei had already set up camp, and the three were currently gathered around a small campfire. Where he'd managed to find wood in this wretched place he'd never know, but he was grateful for it at least. That is, when the wind didn't blow out the fire of course.

There was a sweet smell coming from the center of their camp, where the fire sat. Perched around it metal rods, were several small lizards they'd found earlier in the day. Normally, they'd probably have a real meal instead of something they had to scavenge for, but Gladius of course left most of his supplies at home by mistake. That included a weeks worth of lunches sealed away into a scroll on his kitchen counter.

The genin had packed a few ration bars and sealed packets of liquified foody goodness, but at this point they were more then welcome to leave those alone while they ate something with more substance. Naruto insisted on burning the silver packets as soon as he tried one, but luckily was whacked on the head by their lone female member before he could do anything.

Now, after they'd all eaten, most of the team was getting ready to sleep for the night. Exceptions being Gladius, seeing as how he'd taken first watch, and Masina who was doing maintenance on her arm to remove the sand from the day's venture.

He watched the shifting dunes absently while small buzzes repeatedly intruded his hearing. All the noises from the camp were starting to make him nervous, from the sounds of her maintenance to the light snoars coming from Naruto and Arctur's tents. It was hard to tell, but he could almost sense that something was amiss in the dark dunes that night.

Chakra signatures would randomly pierce his senses, coming from various points all around him. He'd felt them earlier that day, and at first he thought they were being followed. But no, they were too erratic for something so simple. This desert was playing tricks on his mind, and he couldn't wait till they were in Suna.

And besides the noises of the camp, the desert was dead silent. It really had been awhile since he was away from the city, where your senses were constantly berated by the sounds of the city at night. Suna was never asleep, the nights were just as loud and noisy as they days. Everything from cars buzzing by to the trams echoing up from below.

The outside world was a stark contrast to the place he called home, even the port of Casanova was noticeably quieter. There was no doubt he'd be glad when the mission was finally over and he was back home where it was much safer and not so eerily quiet. A little odd, coming from a jonin of his caliber, but he shamefully admitted to having grown soft since he started taking on teams of genin.

"Masina, you should get some sleep." The sudden noise startled her, and from the muffled swear he heard she must've accidentally poked a nerve-receiver. "I'm almost done, Jonin-sensei." His eyes trailed lazily over to his student, before returning to their observations as he let out a sigh. "I don't need nor want you to be falling asleep tomorrow. We can't afford someone on our team to not be at a full hundred percent. Finish up what're you're doing, and get some rest."

She grumbled at him, before the sounds of her toolbox being shut and locked along with her putting the plating back on the exposed circuits of her arm. With that, she went off to her tent for the night, leaving the elder ninja to his thoughts.

"Why are we stopping?" The blonde boy looked over at his sensei in confusion, his teammates echoing his confused look. With a soft smirk, he answered, "I figured we should try and get some training in, while we're away." It didn't take long for that to ring a bell in all three of their heads, simultaneously growing stars in their eyes, at least they might as well have.

"Really?" He nodded again, causing more cheers of delight from his students, to which he smiled in light amusement. He'd guessed they were starting to get antsy after traveling for almost two whole days straight, and what better way to release that pent up energy and frustration, then too kick-start their new training.

"Like usual, I'll create two water clones for you too... oh, wait." He paused for a minute, before smiling sheepishly. "I may have left all our water back at our last camp." Whatever joyful mood his students were in vanished near instantly. "What? You can't be serious Gladius-sensei! Without any water, we'll all die!" Gladius nodded slightly, agreeing while adding onto their list of troubles. "And I won't have enough water to prepare my famous desert newt and random herbs stew." He shook his head, almost as if he was going to burst into tears. _'I almost had it non-lethal too.'_

He received a blank stare from the short tempered girl, who was trying her best to make him burst into a pile of flames with just the mere power of a glare. "Little more concerned about the whole dying of dehydration thing."The man waved her off nonchalantly, turning his back to her. "Don't worry, I'll get us some more water. But that means I won't have much time to train you all today. We might even be here for awhile, but I doubt it."

Masina just turned away, silently fuming while Naruto looked over back to their teacher. "You can get our water back?" A confident nod and a smile was his response, while the man lifted up his gauntlet. "This thing is for more then just fighting. For shinobi with a water element like myself, I can use it to draw moisture from the ground, perfect for if you ever run out of water in the field and no nearby streams to replenish canteens. Or, any canteens at all, in this case." Finishing off, he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

Arctur suddenly broke in, interrupting their teacher. "I actually brought some extras, just in case. But I forgot to fill them up before we left." The jonin smiled, turning to his third charge. "That'll be fine, good thinking Arctur." The kid smiled slightly, before the jonin went on with a serious look. "Because we're in such a large desert, it's likely it'll take awhile to draw any water from the air or the ground, but there just might be an underground stream nearby nearby. For now, I'll give you all a head start on your training, but you'll be on your own afterward. I'm going to need to focus all my attention afterward to gather water."

He turned to one of his bags laying nearby, and started pulling out various equipment and supplies. "Now, let's see, where did I put those... Oh for kami's sake." He grumbled, quickly getting tired of his useless memory, and just tossed the bag back aside. "Looks like we'll have to improvise. Naruto, Arctur, wait for me over that dune while I talk with Masina." They both nodded, obeying their sensei as they walked off.

Now that they were alone, he turned back to his hot-headed student. "At least you already have everything you need to start training. And luckily, I have this!" He reached into his breast pocket, and pulled out a small scroll. Silently, he prayed as he carefully unraveled the rolled up paper, before finally sighing in relief. _'At least I didn't forget this.'_

"What is this sensei?" She questioned, taking it from his grasp as he handed it to he. "Something I scrounged up while diving into the archives a few weeks back. I thought you might be interested in something like the moves on the scroll."

The girl was silent, as she read over the opening line again and again in her head, nearly overcome with disbelief at what she held. _'These are... some of my mother's techniques...'_ In her clan, it was considered tradition to always pass down techniques from mother to daughter, or in her case, daughters. But she and her sisters never had the chance to learn from their own mother. She had passed away before Masina was even able to walk, and her old scrolls were confiscated by order from the king, to protect her secrets from falling into the wrong hands.

Her family had tried to reclaim them, but each time they were either turned away, informed that they had been burnt, or even lost. They knew that the scrolls were still there lying within the jutsu vault inside the bowls of the archive building, but because of their mother's status as a high ranking ANBU agent upon her death, all her techniques were deemed property of the state, and claimed as soon as she passed.

The only way that she could be holding one of her mother's scrolls right now, meant that their lord had finally relented and was planning on giving them back, or Gladius-sensei stole them. But just to be sure, she had to ask. "Sensei, this is one of my my mother's scrolls, h-how did you get it?" The man smirked, shrugging to himself. "I have no idea, I'd long since forgotten."

She smiled at him, before feeling a foreign twinge tugging in the corners of her eyes. _'Not gonna cry not gonna cry- Kami damn it all, masina, get a hold of yourself!'_ Wiping her tears away before they had a chance to truly come to form, she stoned her face and bowed her head in appreciation, if anything to hide her face from her teacher. "Thank you, Gladius-Sensei."

A hand on her shoulder caused her to raise her head up again, and he smiled softly at his student. "Nothing to thank me for, but if it makes you happy, then your welcome. Now then, let's get down to business shall we?" Immediately, she straightened her back and nodded her head in confirmation. "Right!"

"Since we obviously can't start you up on your elemental training, at least not yet, I figured it'd be best to teach you more taijutsu, and maybe even some kenjutsu when you're ready for it. The moves on the scroll may just be a part of what your mother used when she was in her prime, but it's as good a place to start as any.

"While we're here, I want you to start going through the very basics, and take it slowly. I don't need my students overworking themselves, especially not now." She stared at him blankly for a second, finding something odd with his last statement. But before she could manage to get a word in, he turned on his heal and headed toward Naruto and Arctur. "I'll check back with you later!" He called out cheerfully.

She stared off after him, before letting out a deep sigh, and reading over the first technique listed. "Let's see... Fullmetal style, Iron strike. Right, let's do this." She paused, before smiling inwardly. '_I'll make you proud, mom.'_

Back with the others, Naruto and Arctur had just finished their third game of crosses and circles, the blonde boy hanging his head in shame. "Dammit... Come on, one more try!" The snow haired boy shook his head, smirking at his friend. "You said it yourself, 'best two out of three,' and you haven't even won once."

Letting out a of of defeat, he let out a comically drawn out "fineee," before turning towards the form of their sensei. "Ah, I see you've two been busy. Who's been winning?" He smiled, spotting the hash-marks in the sand. From the hard glare from the blonde, it didn't take long to come to a conclusion. "Ah... Right then, let's get started shall we? Today we'll be starting your elemental training."

Instantly, the two boys leapt from their sitting positions, the sudden movement covering their previous game back over with sand, and started watching the man in anticipation. "Usually, we'd be using leaves for Naruto, and rocks for Arctur, but well... you can take a guess." Despite his look of usual sheepishness, they ignored his forgetful memory in favor of a more interesting question. "Sensei, I thought you'd also be teaching us awesome jutsu and stuff." Naruto's paler friend nodded, agreeing with him.

"Oh, no no. Not for another month at the least, and it's more then likely it'll take a little longer then just a month."There was a small pause, before Naruto yelled out, "A whole month?" While cleaning out his ears from their voices, he added, "And probably a few more, just to be safe." The boy groaned for a moment while crossing his arms, while the other just scratched the back of his head, face uncertain.

"Naruto, as much as it's hard to believe, It's necessary that we take this one step at a time. If we start trying to teach you a more powerful jutsu before you finish the basics of your training, it'll only impair you in the future." The blond boy looked hesitant, before he finally gave in. "Fine, but you better teach us something awesome soon sensei." Gladius gave a sly smile, and crossed his arms behind his back. "Of course. I'll be sure to remember it for later."

Naruto grumbled out something intelligible, while Arctur laughed quietly to himself at his friend. "Now then, let's get started shall we? Today we start the first step into elemental training. For this, you'll need to connect with your given element. You know, get a feel for it and let it loose basically. For example, Naruto you have wind chakra. Normally, you'd be using leaves to try and grasp at it, letting loose it's cutting aspect to split it in half. Of course, since I left those behind we'll have to do something a little different."

He started walking up the dune, motioning for them both to follow him. When he reached the top, he sat down in a meditative position. "As I'm sure you've realized, there are no trees that we can use to get leaves here in Wind Country, so we just can't go and find more. But, I'm sure you'd realize the obvious question in the air. How do wind users in this country connect with their element? The answer is quite simple really." He paused, closing his eyes. Both Naruto and Arctur glanced at each other, before sitting town behind him.

"People in Wind Country actually have a better advantage that most foreign wind users ignore, due to the unique nature of the desert. Look out there, can you see it?" The blond boy frowned slightly, before squinting, trying to see what his sensei meant. Bot genin were forced to strain their eyes, the only obvious thing they could spot though was more and more of the scorching expanse, as well as small clouds of dust twisting in the wind as the breeze rolled by.

_'Wait..'_ Naruto's eyes went wide, before he concentrated again at the open expanse There he spotted it, the sand being picked up by the wind and swirling about before falling back to the ground. _'Right there!'_ "Sensei, I think I know what you mean! It's almost like you can actually see the wind here, with the way sand get's picked up." His teacher smiled to himself, and turned around to face them both. "Good job, Naruto. Yes, Wind users here can actually see the wind as it shifts and over time, start to move the countless sand dunes that make up this land. This is where they learn one of the deeper, more base aspects of wind. The sheer force behind it, powerful enough to move and change mountains if given time.

"In countries where they're are trees, you can see the wind rustling the leaves as it rolls by, but many wind users ignore this gentle yet steady force, in favor of the fast and sharp power of cutting leaves in two." He looked back to the desert, giving instructions to the blond as he did so. "What you need to do is understand this very basic aspect of your element, in order to master the first step, you have to learn to move the sand around you. Look at how the grains of earth move and twist about, tracing the very wind's outline. Try to will your chakra to mingle with the air, causing it to twist in and turn in the way that's most natural to it. This will take awhile, but I'm confident you'll make it."

The boy nodded, a look of pure determination painting his features as he got into position at the very top of the dune, leaving Arctur with their sensei. They watched him for a few moments longer, before Gladius turned back to his remaining student. It was silent, as Gladius assumed a look of of deep concentration, trying to remember just what it was Earth users did here to start their elemental training. It was then, it clicked. Or at least, the basics of it clicked.

He smiled, and Arctur got the faintest impression that he wasn't going to like where this was going. Ignoring any change in his student's attitude, and the fact that he was slowly inching away, the jonin spoke, "Now, I can't be too sure on this, but I believe out here Earth users need to get a very sense of the sand around them, try to become one with them, letting their chakra naturally tune itself to the earth's frequency you could probably say"

Arctur was half sure the man was just pulling this out of his ass using wild guesses, before he suddenly felt a tug on the back of his coat, and realized that his sensei had grabbed him and lifted him up into the air. "In order to do this, it's rather simple really. Just surround yourself with sand, and just let your chakra reach out and mingle, before you can finally feel it all around you by just your chakra. Once you finish that, we'll move onto the next step." Without warning, he suddenly tossed his student back down into camp, burying his student waist deep in the sand.

Taking out a small reed from kami knows where, he shoved it into the sand and hoped for the best. "Shout if you feel like your dying or anything like that." He spoke with a feint smile, before walking completely into camp to gather the water for their backup canteens, thankfully brought along by the boy in the sand. Whom, right now, was sighing internally seeing as how he was breathing through the small reed. _'This is going to be a long trip.'_

* * *

**Several days later**

Currently, the team was finally on the move again. It didn't take long for Gladius-sensei to recover their water, and for the past week, the team was focused not only with their mission, but training in their instructed fields. Every night, they'd spend at least a single hour training, Masina with her taijutsu, Naruto trying to guide lift sand up around him, and Arctur buried in the sand. The same would then be done the next morning, and again at noon when they took a break for lunch. If you could even call it lunch, at least.

Even if their sensei's methods were a bit unorthodox, all three were starting to show improvement. Their resident blond was able to cause a small breeze around him, but it still barely moved the sand at all. Even still, it was progress, and the boy was determined to finish this exercise before they arrived back at Sora once their mission was complete.

Even when they were walking, Masina was nose deep in the scroll given to her the other day. She was determined to absorb every ounce of information on it, and when they stopped she would practice her mother's famed fighting style until it left her exhausted and trying to catch her breath while laying on the hot desert floor. She was determined, that was for sure. The jonin smiled to himself, noticing a similarity between his two students that clashed the most. They'd been getting better, but there was still the occasional shouting match. Hopefully in a few more months, they'd be long past whatever tension there was between them.

Last off, was their resident snow haired wannabe mad scientist. He was a little surprised that his method of learning his earth element was actually starting to work. There was a nagging voice in the back of his head that said he should be having his student do something else, but just burying him in the ground with a breathing reed seemed to work just as well.

Smiling at his team again, he shrugged his pack back up his back from where it'd fallen, and trudged on ahead of them. By now, he reckoned that they were almost half way to Suna. Of course this was a pure guess, and he wasn't entirely confident they were heading in the right direction anymore. Even still, it shouldn't be too much longer.

On top of that, they hadn't even run into any trouble yet. The winds were being tame for their journey, and that meant there wouldn't be any sandstorms. Plus, aside from the strange bursts he chocked up to the desert, he hasn't felt any chakra signatures following them or hiding out there. That didn't mean however, that the winds wouldn't suddenly change or there were dozens of highly skilled ninja hiding their chakra, but, that situation was very unlikely.

From behind him, his genin were keeping a level head and had stopped complaining about the heat almost two hours earlier. Each genin had decided had opted to wear the outer layer of their clothing around their waists, due to just how hot it made being covered in layers impossible. The jonin silently thanked whoever in the Sora invented the temperature regulating seals on the insides of his clothing. He almost pitied the genin, but all he ended up doing was smiling to himself. _'They'll get used to it.'_

* * *

**A ways away team 6's position**

For one particular Iwa nin, this was starting to get absolutely infuriating. Not only did he have to deal with the giant fat ass that just won't stop smiling about the prospect of fighting soon, and wouldn't stop being a childish poor excuse for an Iwa ninja, he also had to deal with their non-talkative and almost completely silent team leader. Normally, he wouldn't mind the quiet, but anything was better then listening to that giant of a man go on and on and...

The Iwa nin shook his head, shaking hair out of his almost candy red hair, letting it fall back in it's usual jumbled mess. He hated sand. He hated it so much, that he was this close to abandoning the mission and making his way back home. Anything to get out of the heat, and even death for deserting these poor excuses for teammates was better staying with them.

The sand was really pushing his limits to their breaking points, and if there was anything he wanted more then too abandon the mission, it would be kicking the shit out of that little shit once and for all. His entire clan was wiped out in the Third Great War, leaving only him and his unique summons. It was one of the things that made his clan well known, before the war at least. Each member had access to a powerful and protective race of guardian like monsters, all but his now being lost to time.

His team leader finally gave the move to attack, and the young boy grinned widely, revealing twin rows of jiggered fang like teeth,while a look of bloodlust finding it's way into his candy red eyes. Up until now, he'd been focusing on using his Chakra Scramble Technique, and now he'd finally get to actually fight. Oh yes, he would have revenge, if it was the last thing he ever did.

* * *

**Chapter End**

* * *

**E/N: I Just thought I should provide a small ending note, to remind you that any terms or such I borrow from another anime or the like, belong to that anime and not me. This new Iwa Nin, isn't quite really an OC, since he is based of and around a character from a popular comic series. If you don't know who he is, you'll probably know in the next chapter.  
**


	9. The Sandstorm

**A/N: Ah hello there again. Sorry this is a lil late, and I would've made this chapter longer but I was running behind already. Sides, if I didn't, the fight would've been over pretty quick, yeah? Anyhow, my old beta is still gone, and I really only skimmed this chapter instead of reading it fully. if you find anything awkward or misspelled, please leave me a comment and I'll fix it right away. Other then that, enjoy!**

**Also, I left a disclaimer at the beginning of the story instead of at every chapter. It's been bothering me, yet I don't really feel the need to place it on every chapter I post, unless there's another franchises involved. In this case, Vantas{The Iwa nin} belongs to Andrew hussie.  
**

* * *

Soragkaure  
Chapter 9: The Sandstorm

* * *

The wind was calm, and the air was left silent save for the light crunch of their feet as they trudged on through the scorching evening weather. Gladius was at the head of the pack, his face stern as his mind was a rush of emotion. In the back of his mind, a voice was screaming at him, alerting him of the danger. Someone was after them.

His face was kept clear of any of the worry he was really feeling, and he made sure to keep his glances at the scenery subtle. It wouldn't be long, he knew that at least. Behind him, his students appeared bored and tired, the walk was weighing down on them again. Their guard was down, that was for sure. They were all easy targets.

In this place, their enemy could very well be hiding in plain sight. The chakra bursts he'd been feeling the previous few days were becoming more erratic all of a sudden, and would pause occasionally, for some reason drawing closer and closer inward. It was then that he finally remembered that very same technique, a trademark jutsu belonging to a nearly extinct clan. A clan from Iwa.

If he could smack himself without giving himself away, he would've. He's seen and felt that technique in action more than enough times to have recognized it, yet his memory failed him yet again. Inwardly, he cursed the very thing, wishing he'd never gone at that mission oh so long ago. There was a point in time where he was famed for his instant and near flawless recall, but that was long behind him. In its place was a mind that on rare occasion, forgot his very name.

With a shallow breath, he finally spotted it. The centralized location of all the bursts. In a mere instant he he took his gauntlet around and pointed it at a seemingly normal hill of sand, before letting loose a barrage of chakra enhanced senbon needles with just the flex of his fingers. The effect was instant, as it exploded in a cloud of dust and smoke.

"What the hell sensei?" Naruto gasped out, having lost his footing and fallen flat on his back from the sudden movement. The Jonin said nothing, but gestured for them to remain on guard. His other two students were the first to react, flanking their blonde friend on both sides, while he picked himself up and reached for his own weapon.

The bursts were even more erratic for a moment, before finally settling on three, not far from where he'd fired at. They moved quickly, shunshining around their group in a triangular formation. There were three of them, a very large boy who towered over them all, a tall girl with short boyish black hair, and finally, a red headed male with a look of complete range which marred his features.

The girl was the first to speak, quickly revealing herself as their leader. He noted that she was speaking the language of Sora, instead of Elemental, though with a heavy accent. "It is about time you had figured us out, I had begun to think your senses had finally dulled." Naruto snickered lightly to himself, but Masina quickly elbowed him to remain quiet.

The Iwa ninja didn't look amused in the least, and sneered at the boy. "I should have expected the son of our greatest enemy to lack manners. You will be killed here, for your father's crimes against us. As will the traitorous Sky Shinobi." But again, the boy started snickering. The girl was grinding her teeth at this point. Her grip tightened around the kunai she held in front of her. She would not let this boy laughing at her!

"You really find it amusing, your death?" She questioned, a hint of venom slipping into her words. The blonde menace couldn't take it anymore, and started laughing outright. His other two teammates held similar smirks, and the other boy was starting to laugh as well. "I'm not laughing at that at all, it's just, do you have any idea how you sound?" She blinked, her face momentarily falling into confusion, before realization struck. That little brat was poking fun at her accent, in his own assassination! Who the hell does that?

"You fucking brat!" She turned to the shorter of her male teammates, who was a look of pure and utter furry, before calling out in her native speech, "*Vantas, perform the summon!*" He nodded, before nipping his finger and running through a long set of hand seals. The three Sora nin that understood Elemental, were already bracing themselves while the boy was working.

Meanwhile, the larger male was preparing his own technique as well. The girl was merely readying herself for her plan to begin. "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" **Following just after the large amount of smoke, was a cry of, "**Doton: Doryūsō!" **In an instant the sand below the three genin shifted, before large spikes of earth forced their way through the sand, sending dust into the air to mingle with the cloud of smoke just before.

They all leapt away, in different destinations to avoid getting impaled or attacked by whatever was just released. Gladius landed just in time to duck and avoid a swipe at his neck,from the enemy kunoichi. Flexing his fingers, he punched straight into her abdomen and sent her flying back, before her body started to sizzle and burst into a red hot molten liquid, glassing the sand it landed on. _'A lava clone?' _His senses screamed again, and he curved just in time to miss a glob of molten fire.

_'The granddaughter of the Tsuchikage!' _To think, they'd send her and a member of that clan, they weren't pulling the punches here. He didn't have much time to think before he was sent leaping back in quick succession, each time avoiding becoming incinerated by the girl, who he now remembered as Kurotsuchi, a user of the Lava Release bloodline. Swearing under his breath, he found himself relying on his only other affinity, lighting.

He would have to get in close to fully use this technique, but the effect should prove instant if he manages to land a solid hit. The smoke finally clears long enough to spot her, and he quickly rushes through hand seals ending in rat. "**Raiton: Kangekiha!" **In an instant, his gauntlet starts to crackle and pop as electricity surges through it. He winces slightly, feeling the familiar sting, before dashing forward.

In less then an instant he and the girl are thrust into a fast paced taijutsu match, with her having to bend and weave against his attacks, lest she fall victim to his jutsu's power. Finally, he knees her in the stomach, causing her to reel and let out a gasp of air, before he slams his fist into her back. She screams out, her eyes going wide as her limbs twitch from the full force of his sole lighting technique. He feels it slip away, and he's left a tingling sensation along his hand.

Before giving her the chance to recover, he grabs a hold of her arm before swinging her around, finally slamming her back into the sand. Before he get's a chance to breathe again, her form starts to sizzle and pop again, before bursting into another lava clone. His eyes go wide, and he leaps back in time to avoid another barrage of molten rock. Landing several meters away, he spots his enemy across from him. She's lightly singed, and her left arm hangs limp. He managed to hit her at least.

"*Heh, perhaps I was wrong before. You're just as strong as our notes reported you. But even then, you won't have a chance out here.*" She smirked here, pulling her hands into the start of a new seal combination. "*Gladius, a so called 'prodigy' of the legendary Hard Water technique, stolen by Takigakure if I recall. Out here, you're just a fish outta water.*" He grunted slightly, narrowing his eyes at her. Despite what he believed, he knew it in his heart. His abilities were severely limited out in this desert.

"In fact, you should probably just give up now." Smirking again, she finally finished her technique. "**Yōton: Yōgan kanketsusen!" **The instant she finished it, the ground beneath the Sora jonin quickly started to heat up. His eyes went wide, before jumping just in time to avoid a torrent of red hot earth exploding from the sand underneath him, instantly glassing the surface. He landed a few feet away in a tumble, his clothes smoking. _'How the hell am I supposed to beat her here?'_

* * *

**With Naruto and Masina**

The two young ninja stared at what stood before them, easily twice their size. It seemed to be covered in a smooth exoskeleton, pure white in color. It's four eyes stared blankly at them, while it's jaws clicked quickly, feelers exposed. It had the vague appearance of an animal licking it's lips before a meal. Large claws hung from its bony arms, the edges serrated and sharp. It stood on two legs, feet with only two toes, and an extra on the back of it keeping it balanced.

It opened up its maw again, letting out a bone-chilling screech as it inched forward. The red headed boy behind it smirked. He was dressed in a large gray cloak that swirled around him, with what looked to be a brown shirt and black pants underneath. He was barefoot. His sharp teeth poked past his lips, and he spoke out loud in his native tongue.

"*What you see before you is my guardian, the last of his kind. From my birth, he's always been there, a summon passed down to me by the ancestors of my line, from within my very clan. There were more of us at one point, more guardians like him, that protected the other members of our clan.*"

His smirk degraded at this point, turning into a sneer as he went on. "*That is, until all the other members of my clan started to die out, at the hands of your father. I'm among the last now, and I've vowed to end his line like he tried with ours!*"

The blonde boy had no clue what this older boy was saying, but it was more then obvious he was angry at him for some reason. He turned to his teammate for help, but she kept her gaze locked on the beast before them. It's summoner growled, as he took a step forward to pull out some sort've curved weapon, a blade in the shape of a crescent moon. "*Don't you dare ignore me! You'll listen to you're killer!*" Again, he received a look of confusion, but he noted the blonde kid ready his own weapon.

"*Grr... Distract her, that bastard's mine!*" The beast clicked out in confirmation, before leaping to the dark skinned kunoichi. She gasped out in surprise, before stealing herself and bringing her metal hand into a fist. As soon as the creature got within range, she thrust out her arm, knocking its head back with a sickening crack. It fell before her, and she was about to sigh in relief before it started to get back up again. Its head snapped forward, popping back into place. It let out another screech, before whipping its claw against her face, smacking her to the side.

Across from her, Naruto was being pushed back by the Iwa ninja's brutal assault, both in taijutsu and verbally. "*You better fucking speak to me, you little prick! I won't be disgraced like this!&" Naruto could only block with his kunai, jumping away when the opportunity arose. There was no way he could take this guy on like this, he was simply too fast! He needed to get some distance somehow, if he was going to get a chance at beating this guy.

Just as the older teen raged forward again, in an attempt to cleave his head off, Naruto tripped under the sand and was sent tumbling down. Not being able to stop his momentum, the would-be assassin tripped over his target, and was sent face first into the ground behind him. He sputtered out an insult, while rolling a few feet away.

Seizing the opportunity, Naruto readied his blade, as his other hand fished for another. A loud clang was heard, as the teen recovered enough to see the incoming strike. His eyes went wide though, once he heard the sick squelch as another blade was shoved through his arm. He screamed out in pain, before kicking the boy in his chest and sending him back over the dune. Standing up, his eyes stared at where the blade was impaled, his eyes unfocused and his breath heavy and shaking.

"*You... you...*" He gasped out, trying to find the right words. Like usual for him, he settled for what came naturally. "*You little shit! I'll fucking kill you!*" He ripped out the blade, and let his arm hang uselessly, before dashing forward at the blonde boy. Said boy proceeded to duck and turn, as his opponent became full of even more rage, if that was even possible.

Unlike most, instead of getting sloppier the more and more angry he got, it was almost like his attacks were getting faster and more precise. Already he noted several new rips and tears as near misses got closer and closer to cutting actual skin. In the back of his mind, Naruto was starting to feel a tingling sensation, almost like something was calling for him.

Ignoring it as best he could, he was forced to jump back as the hot headed boy slashed downward. From his peripheral vision, Masina seemed to be fairing slightly better, if only because she was more used to taijutsu battles then he was. He only had a few jutsu too his name at this point, and none of them seemed helpful at all given the situation. Though, he supposed he might be able to fool his opponent a little.. At the very least, it would give him some much needed breathing room.

"**Bunshin no Jutsu!" **He cried out, his hands set in a seal as ten copies of himself landed with him. They stood up in unison, and for once, the Iwa Nin was hesitant in his assault. "*If you think cheap tricks like this are gonna stop me, you're mistaken.*" His red eyes traveled between each clone, trying to spot the tell-tale differences that would reveal the real one.

It was finally, after nearly ten minutes of fighting, that Naruto finally revealed one key fact. "I have _no _idea what your saying." His opponent, who he assumed was called Vantas given what the girl said, just stared at the clone that spoke blankly. There was a pause, before he spoke up, in a language the boy could finally understand. "...Seriously?"

He received eleven consecutive nods in response, and he just continues to stare at them dumbfounded. "I Would have thought, that a prince of Sora, would be able to speak Elemental." His accent was almost absent, surprising, if he had known the girl from before was their kage's granddaughter. The Naruto's simply shrugged in reply, while the other tried his best to get over the very shock, that all of his insults, had fallen on deaf ears. What good was an insult if your opponent wasn't able to understand it?

After a few quick seconds, he came to a startling conclusion. It didn't. "*It doesn't matter if you can understand me, you'll be dead soon enough!*" The tooth filled grin was more then enough to get the message across. Not wasting his time, the teen bend back his arm, readying his weapon. In a flash, it was sent flying through the air in a curved pattern, just like a boomerang. The prince was forced to jump back, but his clones weren't so lucky.

He cringed inwardly, as he was flying through the air. Already it was quickly apparent that he was outclassed here, and unless he was able to land a lucky shot, he was most likely going to be killed. _'This is gonna suck.'_

* * *

**Arctur**

"Ahhhhh!"

The snow haired boy was currently running for his life, a large stone construct hot on his heels. This is pretty much all the battles been at this point, simply dodging and... more doing. There was no way he could block this thing without willingly losing a limb or two. If there was one thing he was definitely unskilled with, it was taijutsu.

Instead, he'd have to resort to tricks and tactics to win him this one. If only he could get far enough away to even plan an attack, of course. And at this point that was pretty unlikely. "Who the hell is this guy?" He swore allowed, just before the thing slammed a large fist right where he had once been. From just behind him, the giant was calmly following after.

"Akatsuchi." Was the unneeded reply. _'Great, at least he tells me his name.' _This 'Akatsuchi', didn't seem to be putting any effort at all into this fight, simply letting his jutsu do all the work. Along with the fact that despite how long he's kept it up, he's shown no signs of fatigue whatsoever. While Arctur on the other hand, had been constantly on the move from the battle's start.

_'I need to get some distance between us, and fast!' _Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out a several pellet like objects, before charging his chakra into them. One of the newer ninja tools used by soragakure, small balls of iron around a crystallized chakra core, with microscopic seals engraved all around them. In a sense, they were simply a much needed upgrade to the classic paper tags used by the majority of the shinobi nations.

In an instant, the pellets started to glow bright red, before he launched the handful right behind him. The iwa nin's eyes went wide as soon as he spotted them, and spewed out another golem just in time, before several large explosions vaporized his previous creation, and tour through his second. The force of the blast sent him flying high into the air, a perfect target.

The familiar hissing of normal explosive tags was enough to wake him from his senses, just in time to spot a cluster of kunai shooting straight at him. Maneuvering his body in a way one would think impossible for a man of his size, Akatsuchi was able to avoid getting impaled and blown to bits. The second explosion went off and in an instant he was hurtling toward the rough sand below.

Crossing his arms, he was able to roll with the flow, and escape the entire attack with only minor burns. Coughing up bits of smoke, choking on the dust still settling around him, he finally stood tall to face Arctur, who had what looked like wires going down from his hands. Blinking, the man followed the thin steel, finding it sinking below the sand but, but still trailing to his current position.

He only had time to widen his eyes and braced himself as best as he could, before the snow haired boy pulled at the strings. In an instant the ground beneath his feet exploded in fire, sending the iwa nin flying backwards yet again.

This time though, when he finally landed, he didn't get back up. With a heavy sigh the boy let himself sink down to his knees, glad that he was finally able to catch a breath. It was now, after finally defeating his opponent, he spotted a torrent of lava spew forth from where they were first attacked. His eyes went wide.

But before he had the chance to make a move, there was a loud bang coming from where his two friends were, followed by a terrible screech that almost made his ears bleed. Not giving it another thought, he picked himself up whilst rushing towards the source of the noise. His sensei could handle himself, at least, that's what the boy hoped.

* * *

**Gladius**

He lunged back, again and again, each time just narrowly avoiding a spout of hot earth. It was beginning to take its toll on them both. She wasn't holding back in the least, but the in the end she simply wasting away her reserves in hope of landing a killing blow. And the way things were going, she'd eventually do so if he didn't do something to finish this once and for all.

One he landed again, this time there was no sign of her attack. He let the dust settle, carefully watching and expanding his sense. The desert was glassed for almost half a mile in every direction, a clear testament to her abilities. He narrowed his eyes, while gritting his teeth. He hadn't expected a girl like her to be so strong already, but there was little doubt that if he had been near any significant water source, she would've been quenched long before the battle started.

Instead, she was the one with the advantage here. There was only one move he could use to finish it, and he'd have to aim carefully. If he misses, it's all over.

It was then that he spotted her, her mouth was singed and her clothes were covered in soot and sweat. She was starting to get careless it seemed. As well as that, she breathing heavy and glaring intently in his direction, likely hoping her bloodline would manifest in a sort of lava vision. Actually, now that he thought about it, that would've been awesome. For the brief few moments he had to witness it of course.

But no such luck, or was it bad luck? In all honesty he was having trouble keeping his mind straight. The battle was getting to him, and his brain could only handle so much stress before it collapses onto itself, again.

"*You might wanna be careful, don't wanna burn yourself. I'd heard about the dangers of playing with matches, but I'm sure the rule applies to volcanoes as well.*" He spoke out, speaking fluently in her language.

She grunted at him, before his words clicked in her somewhere. She started to smile, and there was something in there that just gave him shivers. "*A volcano huh? These were nothing. If you want, I'll show you what a real volcano looks like.*"

His eyes went wide, before narrowing again. _'I can't let her use this technique... if she does, we might all be killed.'_ He tested his gauntlet, merely channeling a small amount of his lightning chakra inside. It crackled lightly for just a moment before going still. _'A second is all I need.'_

Suddenly, she was in a flash of handseals. Her was quick to follow, dashing forward at the same time. He felt his lone canteen start to shake, as the water inside began to turn. He would've used this technique before if he realized just how long the battle would rage on.

He could smell something burning, and he briefly noted it was a large portion of the desert. Lovely. So it seemed she was in fact, planning on using a suicide technique to finish the job. Assassination has come a long way since he was in the war. He thinks it did, at least, can't be to sure. He was more of a front line soldier anyhow.

Finally, his hands landed on the last hand seal, and he could feel and hear his canteen burst as water whipped around him. Her eyes darkened, and she increased her hand sealing speed as much as she could. But by then, it would be too late.

He held his bare hand in a ram seal, while he held his gauntlet before him. The water started to spin around it, until he grabbed one end and cracked it like a whip. It started to solidify at the same time he held his hand behind him. When he was five meters from her, he whiped it forward in a quick motion.

The entire length shot out at her in a motion to pierce her in the side. Gasping, she dropped her technique seconds before completion and leaned back. But it wasn't enough. The sharp end glided right through her, and as soon as he sensed impact, he shot a charge of raiton chakra through the construct. Her entire body jerked about as the current passed through her.

Once the cord of water made it to the other side, it broke apart and secured the hot sands, before dissolving back into normal water, which was quickly soaked up by the ground. He stood over her for a moment, whispering his technique to himself. "**Hiden Suiton: ****Akuma no Sutingu.**" The Devil's Sting.

But even if the battle was over, her technique was only nearly complete. The rumbling deep beneath his feet didn't cease, and he groaned to himself. Looking down, he saw that the girl was still alive, just knocked out. After a quick debate, he scooped her up, and shunshined away, just in time to miss being incinerated. The lava shot out unevenly, sending molten globs in all directions. It was a miracle that he managed to get far enough away from his students so they wouldn't be hit...

Wait, his students! They were still battling those other two! Swearing, he dropped the girl unceremoniously on the ground, and was about to run off when he heard the loud shriek of pain. Only a monster could make such a noise.

Wasting no time, he ran off. Hopefully, he'd make it in time...

* * *

**End Chapter**

* * *

**E/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, feel free to leave a comment of any sort. All jutsu, save for what Gladius used, are cannon. {I think..} Anyhow, thank you for reading.  
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